We're not calling it Babe
by emebalia
Summary: The Winchester family gets a rather unusual new member. Season 10.
1. Chapter 1

**We're not calling it Babe**

"Maybe it had rabies?" Sam asked doubtfully but Dean couldn't care less. They stood over the dead body of the creature and that was it. The supposed to be gentle wood-spirit beast had killed four hikers so they had to put it down. However, the last one and a half days Sam hadn't stopped musing over the reason behind the attacks.

"It still looks like a pig." Dean nudged the dead animal in the side with his boot, just to make sure. Dead. Satisfied he clicked the safety of his gun on. It had felt good to put some bullets into the thing. Absently he rubbed over the Mark on his arm.

"Twrch Trwyth." Sam corrected him. Leave it to Sam to pronounce that one right. Dean rolled his eyes. "Or Triath as the Irish say, are portrayed as wild boars." Sam reminded him not for the first time since he had dug up the fancy name for a pig. "They are associated with the Wild Hunt. On occasion they even lead lost hikers back to civilization."

Dean sighed. Thanks to Sam he knew more about this creature than he'd ever wanted to know about a supernatural pig. Or any pig in general.

"It led us around in circles all day. Friggin' glamor." That hadn't been a surprise but it still sucked. He knew better ways to spend his day than to chase a supernatural pig through the woods. It had reminded him of Purgatory and he wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

"Because we were here to kill it." Sam waved his hand in a general manner. "And they bring luck. In some parts of Europe the pig is a lucky charm."

Dean knew that, he had to listen for hours to his brother rambling about it. "Doesn't look lucky to me. Looks more like, dunno, dead?"

Sam crouched next to the dead body and didn't bother to answer but Dean could tell what kind of face his brother was making from the way he was holding his shoulder alone. After a day of running in the woods he had the right to be bitchy, though.

"At least we can just leave it." Dean nodded to himself. "Nobody will take a closer look at a dead boar in the woods."

After the attacks the rangers had closed this part of the woods and in a few days other animals would have torn it apart anyway. Problem solved.

"Okay, let's get going." Dean tucked his gun back in his waistband and bent to get the bag with their supplies. He grimaced in pain and hoped Sam didn't see it. "I don't want to spent the night out here if I can help it."

Sniffing at the sleeve of his jacket Dean made a face. "And I need a shower I smell like pig."

"And the difference to your normal smell is …?" Sam teased without even looking in Dean's direction. How could anyone find a dead pig so fascinating? Dean shook his head.

"I tackled a pig." Dean reminded him. "A pig, Sammy. It had its tusk in places I don't want to think about." Dean straightened and tried to ease the pain in his inner thigh by rubbing it absently. Sam's attention was on the pig but Dean wasn't taking any chances that Sam wanted to have a look at his injury. There were limits, dammit. And it wasn't anything, really. Just a bruise or a torn muscle. Nothing a hot shower and a good night's sleep couldn't handle. And pain was a good way to counter the urges the Mark was filling his mind with.

Shooting the pig would subdue them for a little while, he knew that and he was grateful for the breather but on the other hand, the Mark had tasted blood now and it would want more. Soon.

A noise to Dean's left startled him out of his thoughts. Something was moving under one of the bushes. He had his gun back in his hand without even thinking. Was there more than on of these pigs around here?

Dean was ready, in more than one way, for another boar coming for him but that was not what was coming out of the bushes.

Suddenly he knew. The attacks made sense now. Dean understood.

"Ehm, Sam?" He asked his eyes not leaving the thing coming towards him. "Are you sure it's actually a boar?"

"What?" Sam was still focused on the dead thing and apparently hadn't noticed the second one coming for Dean.

"Have you seen his jewels?" Dean aimed at the creature which was making its way towards him in a painful slow hobble. It wasn't using its right hind leg.

"Dude, why would I look at his junk?" Sam finally let the body be and stepped over to Dean. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Dean lowered his gun. "I think we just shot Bambi's mother."

This little creature wasn't a threat.

It made whiny little noises.

Dean didn't need to be Doctor Dolittle to understand the universal call of a baby for its mother. A mother he had emptied almost an entire clip into. A mother which was laying in her own coagulating blood and was getting colder by the minute.

"She was protecting her young one." Sam understood now too. "The hikers must have gotten to close for her comfort. Look, it's limping. Maybe one of them did that. I knew it wasn't vicious."

"This sucks." Dean got his gun up again and aimed at the little creature's head. The snout twitched and the piglet looked up at Dean without any sign of fear.

It sniffed and its ears perked up and then it made that noise again. This time with something like hope mixed in with the despair.

"Dean?" Sam asked and put his hand on Dean's arm. "What are you doing?" The question was gentle but Dean sensed the fear beneath it. Fear of what the Mark was doing to him. It was always there in Sam's mind nowadays and of course it was roaring in Dean's mind as well.

"We have to kill it." Dean answered and tried to not look in its eyes while the piglet continued to hobble towards him. He wasn't sure what that would do to him. Would it spike his thirst for blood?

"It's just a piglet."

"Exactly." Why hadn't he shot it already? One bullet, it wouldn't even feel a thing. He wanted to kill it, he wanted to empty the rest of the clip into this tiny little body. The Mark on his arm was burning, flooding his body with adrenalin. "It's too young to survive on its own and it's injured. I'm doing it a favor."

Sam still had his hand on Dean's arm, gently holding it down so that the gun was pointing to the ground.

"It's not like we can drop it off at a shelter." Dean tried to reason but he knew it was a lie. He wanted to kill it. Simple as that. And at the same time he didn't want to do it. But he had to. He swallowed thickly.

These pigs were supposed to be the good spirits of the woods. Shy but friendly to humans, even helping if some dumbass managed to get lost out here. Like dolphins or something. The pig version of friggin' Flipper.

The weight of Sam's hand disappeared from his arm. With a sigh Sam turned in the other direction, leaving Dean to do what had to be done.

"This sucks." Dean repeated. He looked down at the creature who had, despite the obvious pain it was in, made its way almost all the way towards Dean by now. Its flank was covered with blood and dirt but despite the obvious pain it was in, it kept going. One hobbling step after the other.

Dean took aim."Sorry, little guy."

Two tiny feet landed on his boot and the soft snout nudged his leg. And there was this heartbreaking calling for its mother again. Trustful eyes looked up at Dean.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

_This is stupid, _Dean thought.

"This is stupid." Sam gave him a look over his shoulder but didn't slow down. He was taking the lead, carrying their supply bag.

Dean chose to not answer. He just wrapped his arm closer around the lump under his shirt.

"I think he settled down." Dean said quietly. At first he had tried to carry the little guy in his arms but the piglet had constantly wiggled to get closer to Dean, shivering and whining, until Dean had buttoned up his shirt around him, creating a nice little hiding spot for the little pig.

"You're warm and smell like his mother." Sam observed but his voice didn't give away his thoughts on this subject. He didn't have to. They both knew how stupid this was but in the end neither of them had been able to kill the helpless little piglet. It was injured for Christ's sake. And these little noises it had made … Dean couldn't stand it. He couldn't.

So here he was with the piglet under his shirt, following his brother's lead out of the woods. By now he was limping as well, right hind leg, figures, they already had something in common, but he grit his teeth and tried to keep up with Sam.

Dean sighed in relief when they reached the Impala.

Sam didn't bitch around when Dean tossed him the keys but he did throw him a concerned glance when he started the engine.

"Where to?" He asked and eased the car on the road. "Back to the motel or to a vet clinic?"

Dean considered the question, not showing the relief he felt over the fact that Sam was as concerned about the piglet as he was.

"Let's have a closer look at him at the motel first." He finally answered. He didn't need to say that he wasn't sure if they could pass it as a normal piglet to a vet. It looked like a young boar at first sight but Dean wasn't an expert on pigs, who knew what a trained eye would spot. On the other hand, people had come up with crazy breeds of a lot of species.

Sam nodded and they drove in silence for a few minutes.

"How's he doing?" Sam finally asked with a side glance at the lump under Dean's shirt now settled in his lap. Dean had both arms protectively around the small body, forming a nest so that he wouldn't get tossed around by the movement of the car. Not that Sam was driving faster than a grandma.

"Sleeping." Dean answered. The piglet was still completely hidden under the fabric of his shirt but it hadn't moved in a while. However, Dean felt the warmth against him and the soft movement of the breathing.

Back at the motel Dean was glad that his little passenger hadn't stirred so far and he carried him into his motel room without somebody seeing him. Sam followed them, first aid kit in hand.

"Grab me a towel, will you?" Dean sat down on his bed and started unbuttoning his shirt. Carefully he peeled the fabric from the small body wedged against his stomach.

The piglet now did stir and made little painful noises when Dean set it on the towel Sam had laid out on the bed.

"Shh, little fellow." Dean made and gently stroke the piglet's head. "I just need to have a look. It's okay, I won't hurt you." He was dimly aware of Sam watching him from where he'd retreated to the bathroom but at the moment he didn't care what Sam might think about him cooing over the little pig.

"Here, we need to wash off the blood and dirt." Sam set a bowl with water on the nightstand and handed Dean a wet washcloth. With Sam near by the piglet shied away, pressing himself against Dean.

"Thanks." Dean took the washcloth and without needing to be told Sam stepped back, giving Dean and the piglet some room.

The gash on the side was superficial and didn't look like it needed stitches. If that had been the case they would be on their way to the next vet, Dean didn't even want to think about pushing a needle through the skin while Sam held the crying pig down.

"Doesn't look too bad." He informed his brother and pretended to not hear Sam's sigh of relief. "Okay, this might hurt a little bit, little fellow."

Firm but carefully he wrapped his hand around the injured hint leg and tried to move it. He wasn't an expert in pig anatomy but he knew how dislocated joints or broken bones felt. The pig protested with a whine but was too weak to break Dean's hold.

"It's bruised and swollen but I don't think it's something serious." Dean let go of the leg and switched to calming strokes on the pig's head and flank. The piglet was panting now but calmed down after a moment.

"I'll get some ice." Sam offered and was out of the room a second later.

"What are we going to do with you?" Dean asked the pig, patting its head while it tried to dig its snout into his palm.

They couldn't keep him, Dean knew that. He was small and cute now but he would be a giant boar some day. And they couldn't lock him up in the bunker while they were out, doing their job.

"Can't you just pretend you're a dog or something?" Dean muttered but never stopped scratching and patting the tiny head. The pig's eyes dropped and he was almost asleep now but there were still the small hurt noises coming from him which wrenched Dean's heart every single time.

"Here, try this." Sam was back with a towel filled with ice cubes. It covered half of the piglet.

At first he made an irritated sound but then he seemed to feel the soothing effect of the ice and settled back into the nest of towel, shirt and Dean. Seconds later he was fast asleep.

Dean sat there for another ten minutes, holding the makeshift ice bag in place, before he dropped it to the ground and then he just sat there, watching the little guy sleep.

"We could keep it until its big enough to make it on its own." Sam suggested from his place on his bed, eyes fixed on what he could make out of the pig from there.

"He wouldn't know how to survive on his own." Dean dismissed the idea. "Without his mother to show him ..." He shook his head. This was stupid. They had no idea how to prepare a pig to live on his own in the woods. He wouldn't find food. He would be used to humans and probably get shot as soon as he came close to humans again.

Dean didn't say that out loud but he didn't need to, he could see the same thoughts on Sam's face.

"Let's wait till tomorrow." Sam suggested and Dean nodded to that.

"Okay, your turn." Sam announced and rubbed his hands.

"What?" Dean blinked at him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you're limping." Sam said, fist aid kit already in hand.

"It's nothing." Dean hurried to assure him, hand protectively on the injured spot too close to his groin to let Sam just have a look. "Just a bruise or a pulled muscle, nothing serious." Sam eyed him sceptically, not believing one word he was saying. "Nothing a hot shower can't fix." He added and making his point he dislodged himself from the piglet and after a moment to make sure it was still sleeping he escaped to the bathroom.

For a moment Dean stood at the sink, bracing himself on the rim. While he'd been concerned about the little pig he had been able to dismiss his own injury but now, thanks to Sam, it was back in all its throbbing glory.

Dean swallowed thickly, he was sure that it hadn't hit home but he needed to look to be really sure. It hadn't felt like he got kicked in the balls but by now the pain was everywhere, sending hot lances of pain through his groin and up his spine.

"Please, no busted nut." Dean prayed to nobody specific and carefully started to peel off his jeans. Twisted testicle was another thing he didn't want to think about right now.

His inner thigh was one big bruise, almost black and roughly the shape of a football. Where the tusks had hit the skin was broken but it hadn't even bled that much. But little Dean was okay and that was all Dean actually cared about at the moment.

The hot shower loosened his muscles but sparked the throbbing in his leg.

Only in his underwear and a t-shirt Dean limped back the the main room.

"Uh." Sam winced in sympathy. "I'll get you some ice for that." And with that he was out of the door.

Glad that Sam wasn't around to see more of his misery, Dean made his way over to his bed where Sam had left the first aid kit with the painkillers and the ointment for bruises on top. There was a bottle of water on the nightstand as well. In moments like this Dean knew why he loved that kid so much.

By the time Sam came back with the ice Dean had disinfected the part with the broken skin and had smeared the ointment on the rest of this upper leg. He put some soft sweatpants on and then settled back with a sigh while the cold of the ice was seeping through his pants.

Neither of them wanted to go out for dinner, Dean didn't want to walk ever again and there was still the piglet sleeping on his bed, so they ordered pizza.

By the time the pizza arrived Dean had drifted off to almost sleep, he hadn't even noticed that Sam had disappeared to the bathroom for his own shower, and he startled awake when the pizza boy knocked at their door.

His flailing woke the pig as well who made little noises again. But this time it didn't sound that painful and lost anymore. It sounded rather hungry.

"Sam, what do pigs eat?" Dean asked, his own stomach grumbling at the smell of the pizza.

"They are omnivore." Sam answered promptly, of course he would now a random fact like that. "But I'm not sure if he's old enough for solid food."

In the end Dean gave him some of the more sodden part from the middle of the pizza and left the crust for himself which seemed to work just fine.

After they'd eaten and the little guy, by now Dean had confirmed that it was indeed a he, had finished a bowl of water, the brothers made themselves comfortable on the beds and Sam was zapping through the channels. The pig had wedged itself against Dean's side again and Dean stroke his head absently.

When it was time to turn in the pig was fast asleep and Dean scooped him up with his nest of Dean's shirts and placed him on the floor next to his bed. The piglet didn't even blink to that and they settled in for the night.

However, Dean couldn't sleep. His brother's breathing had long evened out but Dean lay there, tired and exhausted, but he couldn't find his way to sleep. Since he got the Mark he hadn't slept well and more often than not he woke up from nightmares but now he couldn't even find a position where he didn't feel his injured leg. He had taken something for the pain so it didn't really hurt, he just couldn't find a position to sleep comfortably.

When he finally was at the brink of unconsciousness, some rustling next to him pulled him back. And there was that whining sound again.

"Hey, I'm here." Dean reached out to the piglet and immediately felt his snout against his palm. But the whining didn't stop. If anything it became more urgent and the pushing against his hand more desperate.

"Shh, you'll wake Sammy." Dean whispered but the pig didn't calm down. Now he felt little feet on his hand as well and he was pretty sure that he pig tried to climb up his arm.

"Oh for ..." Dean sighed and picked him up. "Here. Happy now?" The pig indeed made a happy noise and wiggled his way under the covers. Settled against Dean's stomach with Dean's arm wrapped over him, he calmed down and a moment later he was asleep again.

"If you pee on me ..." Dean muttered but tightened his hold around the small body against him. A minute later he was asleep as well and he slept through till morning without dreaming.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean woke up to the smell of coffee and the sight of his brother hastily packing away his phone.

"Are you taking pictures of me while I'm sleeping?" He asked, not awake enough yet to actually care.

"No?"

"You're creepier than Cas." Dean rubbed his face with his left hand to chase away the last traces of sleep but then froze when his brain caught up with the reason why he didn't use his right hand.

Dean groaned but didn't lift his head to confirm what he was feeling at his right side. Instead he closed his eyes with a defeated sigh.

"He's wedged between my side and my arm, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"And his head is on my shoulder." It wasn't really a question, he felt the weight and the warmth of the little body against his side and on his shoulder.

"Yep."

"This never happened." Dean opened his eyes to glare at his brother but didn't move otherwise. The little guy was still sleeping.

"I have pictures." Sam grinned at him. _And I'm willing to use them_, hung unspoken in the air.

"I'm going to kill you."

Sam's grin just grew wider but he had the sense to retreat to the table, giving Dean and the little pig some room.

"Got us breakfast." He announced over the rustling of paper bags.

"Coffee?" Dean asked and tried to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice.

Sam rolled his eyes at him but handed him a cup and a bagel. Dean had to scoot up to a more or less sitting position if he didn't want to spill the coffee all over himself and his little bed guest, and for a moment it looked like he managed that without waking the little pig.

He was half-way through his coffee and was feeling way more awake by then, when the body at his side became restless and started to wiggle. Seconds later he had tiny feet on his chest and a snout close enough to his face to give him cross-eyes.

The piglet made a whiny noise.

"You got something for him, too?" Dean asked. He put his bagel on his chest and reached out to scratch the piglet behind the ear. It closed its eyes in pleasure and let out a little hum.

"Oatmeal for now." Sam answered, pointing with an half-eaten bagel at a still wrapped container. "And fruit salad for later."

"You and your healthy food." Dean muttered but didn't comment on the "later" part. As long as they didn't talk about it, they could pretend there were no major decisions to make.

However, the pig was hungry and Dean was distracted and there was this delicious bagel right in front of its nose.

He really shouldn't be surprised, he thought, when he found the pig chomping on his breakfast when he finally looked at it. Dean sighed.

"That was my bagel." He said but dropped the rest of it on the mattress for the pig who dove right back in.

At the table Sam cracked up laughing. Dean glared at him but couldn't help a little laugh himself.

"There's still the oatmeal if you want it." Sam offered, wiping his eyes with a napkin.

Dean glared at him which drove him into another laughing fit. So Dean turned his attention back to the piglet, he had the feeling he would find a more mature conversation there.

By now the pig had finished the bagel and was now eying the cup in Dean's hand.

"No." He said firmly and hurried to get his coffee out of reach. "That's mine."

Ignoring his still snickering brother Dean got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom, leaving his coffee in the relative safety of his brother.

"Keep an eye on him, would you?" Dean asked over his shoulder but by then Sam was already half-way through the room while the piglet watched them with interest from its position on the bed. At least he didn't try to follow Dean.

He hurried through his morning routine and when he came back dressed and freshly shaven he found his brother and the piglet on his bed with Sam feeding him pieces of fruit.

Dean stopped in the doorway, watching them. Last night the piglet had shied away from Sam but now it looked like he was his new best friend.

"He likes you." Dean said softly, a knot loosening in his chest he hadn't know had been there. If his brother and the pig didn't go along … Dean swallowed thickly and tried to not think about how he'd thrown Cas out on Gadreel's demand.

"Not as much as he likes you." Sam answered without even looking in his direction. His eyes were fixed on the little animal in front of him. "You're like his mother now."

"I'm not a mother." Dean huffed but couldn't help the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest.

Sam didn't comment on that and just fed the piglet another bit from the fruit salad.

"However." He came over and instantly Sam and the fruit were forgotten. The piglet scrambled to get to the other side of the bed, closer to Dean. "I should take him for a walk." He scooped the little guy up who made a happy noise and buried his snout in his armpit.

"Don't want him to pee in your shoes or something."

"You would cheer him on if he did that."

Dean didn't deny that.

The piglet wasn't hobbling as badly as the day before but Dean was pretty sure he still could catch it if it ran away but he tied a rope as an improvised leash around its middle anyway. With his own leg still hurting he wasn't up for running any time soon. And he would pop anther painkiller as soon as he was sure Sam wasn't looking.

If the pig understood the concept of a walk or if it was just coincidence Dean couldn't tell but when they reached the bushes a few steps from their motel room at the corner of the building, he took care of business.

"Good boy." Dean praised him.

While the pig was happily exploring the bushes, Dean used the moment to check something on his phone. He knew he should talk to Sam about this but so far they had been good with not talking about it and Dean didn't want to ruin this with reasons and logic.

"Hey." A voice startled him out of his thoughts. "You. No animals allowed."

Dean turned around to the manager heading his way. He grabbed the leash tighter but the piglet was already hiding behind his leg and he felt it trembling even through the denim of his jeans.

That alone spiked his anger. This man was scaring the little guy.

Dean felt the Mark on his arm, hot and burning, flooding his body with adrenalin and the urge to rip the man's throat out. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Which the man used to get right in his face.

"You can't bring your dog …" The man started but then had a closer look at the animal on the other end of the leash. "Your pig or whatever. No animals means no animals, mister."

Dean smelled stale cigarettes and old sweat coming in waves at him and he tightened his grip on the rope until he felt it biting into the skin of his palm.

"Sure." Dean said and the word came out calm. Way too calm for his liking. Shit. He took a little step back, brining some distance between himself and the manager. "We were about to leave anyway."

The man didn't seem to listen. He ranted about hygiene standards and extra costs for cleaning which even in his current state Dean found hypocritical but he didn't point out the questionable strains on his sheets or the stain on the carpet which he was almost certain was dried blood.

"I said we are about to leave." Dean cut into the endless stream of words but the man didn't seem to care.

With the bushes behind him, the building on one side and a car parking on his other side, the man was blocking his only way out. Dean couldn't just walk away. His only way out was through this man.

"Don't think you can fool me, that's not even a domesticated pig." The manager pointed with his finger at the little piglet, invading Dean's space even farther. "I should call PETA or the police. It's illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet."

"Sir." Dean tried again. If this man didn't back off, now, he'd no idea what he would do. The Mark was burning red under his sleeve, he didn't need to see it to know that little fact.

Just when he felt his self-control slipping, the door to the office at the other end of the parking lot opened and a woman stepped out.

"Karl! Phone!" She yelled and stomped back inside.

The Manager – Karl – gave Dean one last glare and a "Check-out's at eleven. Make sure to be gone by then." before he turned on his heel and hurried away.

Dean just stood there for another minute, leash in his trembling hand, before the pig butted his head in his shin to get him moving. He hadn't even noticed that the pig wasn't behind him anymore.

"Yeah, okay." Dean muttered absently and let the pig guide him back to their room.

If Sam noticed how ragged he was, he didn't show. Maybe he was too distracted by the piglet who ran right into his waiting arms for some cuddles. And maybe more fruit.

"Ran into the manager." Dean said and by now he was composed enough to make it sound casual. "We're lucky he got distracted before he would charge us extra or call the cops."

Now Sam looked up from his crouched position to give him an "Are you okay?" look. Dean just turned around and started packing.

"Sam, keys." They had packed everything in the trunk and by now Dean felt the stiffness in his leg loosening but the pain increasing and the way Sam looked at him he knew it.

"You sure you're up for driving?" Sam asked, weighting the keys in his hand. "If it were your left leg …"

"We can take turns." Dean offered. He didn't feel like driving, every step he took send lances of pain up to his groin and he didn't even want to think about operating the pedals like this but he had a stop to make and for sure he didn't want to discuss this with Sam now. Better to just drive where he wanted to go by himself. After that Sam could take over the wheel, Dean was fine with that.

Sam gave him one last look but then handed the keys over.

"Just tell me when you need a break."

"Sure."

They had made a nest for the piglet in the foot room on the passenger's side out of Dean's worn shirts which smelled like Dean and a bit like the piglet's mother. The little guy accepted it without fuss and didn't seem to mind lying between Sam's feet. He was asleep before they left the town.

Dean had memorized the way to the place he wanted to go to earlier so he took the turns without hesitation and could only hope that Sam didn't notice the little detour. Officially they were heading back to the bunker.

They didn't speak until Dean parked the car in front of a store. He turned the engine off and peered out of the window to read the sign over the door, deliberately not looking at Sam.

The sign told him that he would find everything a pet could ask for inside.

"He needs some stuff." Dean said still without looking at Sam. Instead he looked down at the little pig sleeping in a pile of his shirts between Sam's feet.

Sam cleared his throat and fished something out of his pocket. "I made a list."


	4. Chapter 4

"You think they have stuff for pigs?" Dean glanced somewhat doubtful up at the advertising, not quite ready to acknowledge the list Sam had made. And the meaning of it. Did he mention that it was a stupid idea to keep the pig? "People have pigs as pets, right? George Clooney was basically married to his pig."

"If they don't have anything for pigs, dog stuff should do just fine." Sam said, holding the list still awkwardly in his hand as if he wasn't sure what to do with it. Between his feet the piglet blinked its eyes open and looked up at them with interest.

"Let me see." Dean snatched the piece of paper out of his brother's hand.

Sam had thought of the obvious things like a leash and a harness. A bed. And Sam was right, it didn't matter if the bed was intended for a dog or a pig as long as it was low enough for the short legged pig to climb in.

Sam also had thought of things Dean would have forgotten like a litter box. And a blanket. Would the pig need a blanket? And if so why would they need to buy one and not use one of the many in the bunker's linen room? They didn't have a linen closet like normal people had, they had a frigging linen room, a large linen room. With sheets and quilts and blankets and things Dean had no clue what they were called or used for.

They could built the world's largest blanket fort if they wanted to, and suddenly Dean really wanted to, but they would get the pig his own blanket. Because it was on Sam's list. It for sure would smell nicer and would be more fluffy than the fifty year old stuff in their linen closet.

Okay, point for Sam for thinking of that. Which Dean immediately took back when he noticed what Sam didn't have on his list.

"Dude, you forgot the toys." Dean searched for a pen to write it down. "And treats. How can you forget the treats?"

"It's just a quick list." Sam defended himself and snatched the piece of paper back. "Half of the stuff you're going to load in the cart isn't on the list."

That would be true if Dean would go with him, he had to admit. But he had no intention to leave the piglet alone in the car and the manager's words still rang in his ear. The pig wasn't a domesticated animal and people would know, especially people in a pet store, that was screaming for trouble he really didn't want.

"You go, we wait here." Dean slapped Sam's shoulder, half in encouragement, half a as push towards the door to get him moving. At Sam's puzzled look he added: "We can't risk too many people seeing him. It's not like he's a puppy or something like that."

"Right." Sam said as if only then it occurred to him what other people might see in their little pet.

"So, you go and we wait here." Dean repeated. "He likes me better anyway." Which was true. The pig did like Dean better. He just didn't want to think about the reason for that.

Dean watched his brother enter the store and then turned his attention to the pig sitting in the foot room next to him.

"If he brings you a pink harness with rhinestones you're totally allowed to pee on his boots." Dean told him and reached out to scratch him behind the ear. The pig leaned into the touch and closed its eyes in pleasure.

By the time Sam came back an eternity later the pig was in Dean's lap, little feet in the air so Dean had better access to his belly. Apparently the little guy loved his belly rubs.

"Did he buy the whole store?" Dean muttered when he saw Sam struggling with a full cart.

"I better help him before he throws out the shotguns to make room for your manicure set." Dean told the pig and gently put it back in the foot room. It gave a little whine and tried to climb over the console in the middle to get back to Dean.

"Just stay put for a minute." Dean pushed it back but couldn't help it and included a quick scratch behind the ear. "Stay here and be quiet for a moment. I'll bring something yummy for you if you do that."

The pig sat down on his hind legs and watched Dean with his head tilted to the side. For a second he looked like Cas when he tried to figure something out.

But he was quiet for the moment and Dean knew better than to waste his chance. He got out of the car, made sure to close the door properly and then helped Sam to put everything in the trunk.

"What is all this?" He asked and stuffed just another squeaky toy between the bed and the bag with the dog beauty products. He'd heard of dog shampoo before but this was insane.

"There was this helpful lady." Sam made a face and sat down on the lid of the trunk to make the lock click. The rest would have to go on the back seat.

"Helpful?" Dean shuddered at the way Sam emphasized the word.

"Yeah. She asked if I had a new puppy and if I had one before and when I said yes to the first and no to the latter, I was doomed." A moment of sheer horror crossed his face. "She forced puppy food on me and chewing toys for when he will lose his baby teeth. Do pigs lose their baby teeth?"

Dean had no idea but he was sure that Sam would google it as soon as he had a hand free for his phone.

"She put things in my cart." Sam said and Dean suppressed a chuckle. Sometimes Sam was such a pushover. But he got all the things they needed, plus a thousand they would never need, and so far Dean hadn't spotted anything pink. Sam even got a huge collection of treats.

While they loaded the car Dean didn't hear a sound from the little pig and every time he glanced to the front of the car just to make sure it was still there he found intense little eyes watching him. As far as he could tell the pig hadn't moved since it had sat down.

So when they had everything secure in the car he grabbed one of the boxes with dog biscuits, for puppies with a happy Golden Retriever puppy on the box, before he slipped back in the driver's seat.

"Good boy." He rubbed the piglet's head and gave him two of the biscuits. Munching down on them it settled down in the nest of shirts again and was fast asleep only minutes later.

They drove in silence for a while, both brothers lost in their own thoughts. Dean on his part wondered how intelligent the pig really was. He had the nagging feeling that it understood way more than an ordinary pig should. On the other hand, this was not an ordinary pig. Which was kind of the problem.

"He needs a name." Sam eventually broke the silence.

"Hmm." Dean made, eyes fixed on the road. A name would seal the deal. If they gave him a name, there was no turning back. Not that he could turn back, if Dean was honest. The little guy had already wormed his way in his heart and he was pretty sure into Sam's as well. There was no turning back anymore.

"How about …" Sam started but Dean cut him off.

"We're not calling it Babe." He made his point clear with a finger pointed at Sam.

"I wasn't …" Sam started but didn't finish the sentence. They both knew that that was exactly what he had in mind.

"How about Wilbur?" Sam suggested. "You know like …"

"I've seen the movie." Dean cut him off once again. "No. No sweet little movie pigs. He's a … what did you call these pigs?"

"Twrch Trwyth." Sam supplied fluently without breaking his tongue.

"Yeah, that." Dean didn't even try to pronounce it correctly. "Point is, he's a wood spirit. A badass supernatural creature." He paused, thinking about their choices so far. "Besides, Babe makes me think of Sonny and Cher eye-fucking each other and Wilbur … what's that even supposed to mean?"

"Okay." Sam made a defeated gesture. "What would you suggest?"

"Little Mac." The answer just popped into his mind. Little for the obvious reason and Mac? He was thinking of MacGyver, a guy who was way smarter than he looked, and Mac had also been short for MacLeod the immortal Highlander. Scottish and Irish, close enough, at least for Dean, he was pretty sure the Scots and the Irish would disagree with him on this. And it had the supernatural aura. It was perfect. Of course that wasn't the answer he gave Sam when his brother repeated the name, trying to figure out the meaning behind it.

"Little Mac." Dean said with a smug grin. "Because he's not a Big Mac yet."

Sam gaped at him.

"That's …" For once his brother was lost for words. "That's not even the right species." He thought about it for a moment. "I hope."

"Little Mac it is." Dean nodded to himself and reached out to crank the music up just to make it impossible for Sam to argue with him on this. At the last second he remembered the little guy sleeping at Sam's feet. He dropped his hand without touching the knob on the radio.

However, Sam saw the move and got the intention behind it.

"Okay." He agreed. "Little Mac." The way he looked down at the sleeping pig he'd already accepted the name.

About an hour later Mac woke up. At first he just sat there and let Sam pat him but soon he became fidgety.

"I think he needs to go." Sam said while Dean was already looking for a place to let the pig out for a moment.

He stopped the car at the far end of a picnic area. There were only a few other people around so he hoped they could have a short break without anybody bothering them.

"You need to wear this so you won't get lost, Little Mac." He told the pig, for one to use his name so the pig would get used to it and second because there was the off chance that Mac actually understood at least a bit of what he was saying. And soothing words never hurt, especially when he was about to strap the pig in a harness he'd never worn before.

There was no way to tell for sure but Mac did stand still for Dean to fasten the harness around him. Dean clicked the leash in.

"Okay, let's go for a walk." He led the pig over to some bushes where Mac could take care of business. After that he let the pig wander around. Mac was sniffing here and chewing on something there, Dean was pretty sure he ate at least two bugs and dug out a worm, but all in all Dean just enjoyed watching the little guy exploring the area. They both were not back to one-hundred percent so neither of them was up for running around but they enjoyed a slow walk.

Sam walked quietly next to Dean, his eyes never leaving the pig, and Dean caught him smiling at Mac's antics.

"Puppy!" A high pitched voice suddenly startled Dean out of his thoughts. He only caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye before there was a little girl all over Mac.

The pig made a frightened noise and Dean hurried to pick him up, out of the little girl's reach.

"I'm sorry." A women, probably the mother, hurried over. "She's obsessed with puppies." She gave them an apologizing smile while she tried to hold her daughter back who made grabby hands at Mac who watched her from his safe spot in Dean's arms.

As a compromise the woman picked her daughter up as well so that the little girl, not older than four, Dean guessed, was at eye-level with Mac.

"Puppy." She whined and reached out for the pig. Seeing that Mac stretched out for her as well Dean stepped closer.

"He likes to be scratched behind the ear." Dean said, not having the heart to correct her on the puppy part. He kept a watchful eye on Mac, ready to step back if necessary, but now that he wasn't ambushed Mac seemed okay with the girl patting him.

"And quite a cute puppy you have there." The woman spoke up. "He's a Golden Retriever, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell?" Dean asked while he watched the woman and the girl walking away. The girl was still talking animatedly with wild gestures and a glance over her shoulder now and then aimed at the supposed to be puppy in Dean's arms.

Instead of an answer Sam did this thing with his jaw that indicated that he had no clue either.

"Seriously, what the hell?" Dean repeated. He looked down at Mac in his arms and the little fellow looked like he always did. Pig snout, pig ears, tiny piggy feet.

He could believe that the little girl didn't know the difference between pigs and dogs. Pet pigs weren't that uncommon but it was possible that she'd never seen one before and that every baby animal was a puppy to her. It made sense. It was endearing and cute and it was something little kids did. If he believed Pixar it was common for them to mistake a big ass monster coming out of their closet for a kitty.

But the mother? She knew enough about dogs to even guess a breed. This didn't make sense.

They walked back to the car with Dean still carrying the little pig. Mac didn't seem to mind and used the advantage of the high spot for an interested look around.

Back at the car Dean put him in his usual spot in the foot room where Mac immediately stuck his snout into the shirts, sniffing around, before he settled down with a happy sigh.

The brothers sat in the car for a long minute, eyes on the pig at Sam's feet who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Who clearly didn't look like a dog. Never did.

"It has to be some kind of glamor." Sam finally said. "You know they can do that."

"He never looked like a dog to me." Dean pointed out. If this was a glamor it was a complicated one. Nothing he would have expected a baby to do. Appearing like a generic dog? Maybe. Appearing like a specific breed and only to strangers? No way. Except that Mac did.

"To me neither." Sam agreed, confirming that he hadn't been effected by the glamor. "Why would he do it anyway?"

Dean thought about everything they'd done and said since Mac was with them.

"We have talked about him not being a dog quite often." Dean finally said. "That it would be easier if he was a dog. And you bought him dog stuff."

"Only because a small town pet store doesn't have that much in the more exotic department." Sam defended himself. "They had bird seed but there was not much else beyond the common stuff for cats and dogs."

Dean nodded to that but kept his eyes on the little pig. It was half asleep and looked just cute and innocent. But this was a supernatural creature. His mother had let them in circles all day with her glamor. This was the reason they couldn't just drop him off somewhere. People wouldn't understand.

"And how did he even come up with a disguise like that?" Sam interrupted his thoughts. "Even if he picked up on the dog thing, and that's a big if, a Golden Retriever is pretty specific."

Dean scowled at Sam's dismissive words but he did have an answer to his question. Without a word he reached for the box of biscuits he'd dropped in the back seat and threw it in Sam's lap.

At the rustling tiny ears perked up and Mac made a hopeful noise.

"What?" Sam fumbled with the box but he caught it before it fell to the floor, much to Mac's disappointment. The pig was now sitting on his back legs, still careful with the injured one, Dean noticed, and his eyes were transfixed on the box. The box with a happy Golden Retriever puppy lolling its tongue back at him.

"Oh." Sam made.

"Yeah, oh." Dean started the car. "You should give him one, he did good."

Before he got the car moving, Dean leaned over to scratch the pig behind the ear. "You're a smart little fellow, aren't you? Playing dress up for the little girl. Good boy."

"I wonder if we can make him do it on command." Sam mused but finally fished one of the biscuits out of the box. Mac snagged it out of his fingers and for a second the crunching was the only noise in the car. "How do we even know when he does it? It's not that he looked any different to us."

"He's smart." Dean had no doubt about that. "I'm pretty sure we'll figure something out."

When Mac was done with the biscuit, he looked up at Sam with hopeful eyes.

Turned out that Sam's puppy dog eyes of doom were nothing compared to little piggy eyes. Or maybe Sam just wasn't used to be on the receiving end of one of those looks. He gave Mac another biscuit. Not even an hour later the box was empty and a stuffed but happy little pig was sleeping between Sam's feet.

"We should stay at the bunker for a while." Dean suggested. "See if we can establish some ground rules."

_Train him_, were the words on Dean's mind but they felt wrong. Mac wasn't a dog they could train, he was more. However, if they wanted this to work they needed to take Mac with them on hunts, leaving him alone in the bunker for days wasn't an option, but for that Mac had to learn a few things first.

If this glamor thing worked the way Dean hoped, there shouldn't be much of a problem once they'd figured out the basics.

_No animals allowed? I'm totally not bringing my invisible pig inside, no sir. _Dean snickered at that thought. This ought to be fun.

They reached the bunker late in the evening and all Dean wanted to do was to take a shower and drop dead on his bed. But then he caught sight of Mac who was on a discovery tour through the garage and everything else was forgotten.

Dean carried the bed and begs full of stuff for Mac into the living area of the bunker. Sam followed with the rest of the purchase while Mac was hobbling around them. He wasn't up to running just yet but he was getting there.

_Give him one or two more days,_ Dean thought with dread. They needed to make the bunker piggy proof by then. Sam would throw a fit if Mac chewed on one of the books. But there were other things to think about. Pigs and stairs didn't go well together either. Maybe he should invest in some of those child gates for stairs before Mac made a nosedive down a staircase. Those gates would be great for blocking doors too. Not even Dean had seen all the depths of the bunker, he didn't want to think about little Mac getting lost somewhere in this labyrinth.

Dean set the bed up in a corner which he declared Mac's. From here Mac would have a good view on what was happening around the bunker but wasn't in the way and had a quiet place when he wanted some quiet time for himself. To show him that this was his place, Dean put the shirts on top of it, creating a little nest. And of course Mac got his blanket.

The toys ended up in a pile next to the bed but it took Mac approximate two seconds to send them scattering over the floor. The sounds of delight were too cute to say something about it and Dean just made a mental note to look where he set his feet from now on.

The bowls for food and water went in the kitchen and one whole cupboard was declared Mac's as well.

"What the hell is all this stuff?" Dean asked when he put the last can of whatever in the cupboard. "Does he need all this?"

"Pigs can eat everything humans eat." Sam shook out the bag and folded it neatly. "They don't need special food."

"So why did you buy special food?" Dean asked and closed the cupboard, so many happy dogs were kind of disturbing. The more he looked at their lolling tongues the more he was convinced that there had to be hallucinogens in the food. No normal dogs looked that happy.

"I told you." Sam huffed but his cheeks turned a little pink. "That lady loaded my cart with stuff for growing puppies."

"I'm hoping for you that Mac likes this stuff." Dean said. "Otherwise I'm going to feed it to you."

Sam threw the plastic bag in his direction but being light plastic it didn't make it farther than a foot before it dropped to the floor.

Laughing Dean left the kitchen to set up the litter box in the bathroom. He hoped that they could get Mac used to this idea without too many accidents. So far Mac hadn't peed in the car and had let them known whenever he needed to go. So maybe this would work out with no accidents whatsoever. Or with only accidents on Sam's stuff, Dean would be okay with that.

With his toys and other things scattered all over the bunker Mac was now officially a member of the bunker's household.

About an hour later even Mac seemed to be exhausted from his exploring and they decided to turn in. Dean carried a sleepy Mac over to his bed and to his surprise the pig snuggled under the blanket and into the shirts without a fuss and instantly went to sleep.

"That was easier than expected." He whispered and gave him a last pat on the head before he left the little guy alone.

They never locked their doors and most of the time they kept them ajar. A closed door meant "Leave me alone", a rule they had established due to a life on the road with little to zero privacy. The most common reason for wanting some private time was jerking off but lately Dean didn't even feel that need that often anymore. Not if it wasn't fueled with violent thoughts. Thoughts of blood and pain. And he really didn't want to go there.

So his door was ajar like always but tonight he wondered if Mac would feel the need to join him like the other night. The little guy was alone in an unfamiliar place so it would make sense if he wanted to be close to Dean. If it hadn't been for Sam, Dean would have brought Mac to his room immediately. Now he had to wait and see what the pig would do.

Dean woke up to something cold and wet on his face and little distressed noises.

"Wha...?" He croaked out but his throat felt dry and raw and he wondered if he'd been screaming. If so it hadn't been loud enough to summon Sam. It had, however, been loud enough to get Mac's attention.

"How did you get up here?" Dean squinted at the pig's face only inches from his own. Mac was standing on his chest, all four feet digging into his flesh, but for some reason it felt good. Comforting, grounding.

The cold and wet thing he'd felt earlier was Mac's snout, nuzzling along his jaw and cheek, while the little guy made whiny noises.

"I'm fine now." Dean assured him. "I'm fine."

He had nightmares for a while now and he had the suspicion that Sam knew about them but as long as Sam didn't mention them, they could pretend they weren't there.

Dean picked Mac up and set him on the mattress next to him.

"You want to sleep here tonight?" He asked but if he was honest, he wanted the pig to sleep next to him tonight. He wanted to wrap his arm around him, wrap his whole body around him, and to hold on to the little guy. So he did.

Mac didn't seem to mind, quite the opposite if the way he snuggled into Dean's chest was anything to go by, and Dean only stayed awake long enough to wonder what his life had become that he was spooning with a pig. Then sleep took him under again but it was dreamless this time.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next few days they settled into some kind of routine. Sam researched on the Mark, which had been fruitless so far and would stay that way, Dean was pretty sure but he didn't say anything. It kept Sam busy and gave him the feeling that he was actually doing something so Dean let him be.

Dean on the other hand spent most of his time with Mac. The pig liked Sam and sought him out once in a while for some cuddling and treats but it was Dean the pig had attached itself to.

Dean tried to not gloat about it but it was a good feeling that Mac wanted to be with him more than he wanted to be with Sam. Mac was his. Or he was Mac's, Dean wasn't really sure which way around.

However, during the day Dean did his best to teach Mac some basics. Armed with another box of dog biscuits Dean went to introduce Mac to some new games.

Turned out that Mac loved their little "games". Sometimes it took him a while to get the connection between a new command and an action – Dean had the suspicion that the pig played dumb to milk more biscuits out of him, though – but after three days Mac came when he was called and knew the basic commands sit, stay and heel. There were a few others on Dean's mind and the way Mac was taking this stuff in Dean was already thinking about more complex things like fetching something he was pointing at or even just saying what he wanted Mac to bring him. That could become rather useful in the future.

But for now he focused on making sure that Mac didn't leave his side or stayed where he was until Dean called for him. He couldn't risk having the pig under his feet in a fight. That would be a dumb way to die.

Another game Mac loved to play was "exploring" which he usually played alone. As long as Dean or Sam were looking Mac was a well behaved little piggy who just wanted someone to pet him or play with him. And when he got tired, he retreated to his bed in the corner for a nap.

However, when Dean checked on him the next time, chances were good that the bed was empty and Mac nowhere in sight.

"Sam." Dean raised his voice to startle his brother out of his research. "Mac with you?"

Five minutes. Dean had been in the kitchen for five damn minutes and before that Mac had been sleeping. Now Dean looked down at the empty bed. Again.

"No." Came Sam's answer with a delay and Dean knew without looking that Sam had made a quick search around his work place. "He gone again?"

"What do you think?" Dean rubbed his face with one hand. This was worse than watching a three year old Sammy. Back then they never had a place big enough to get lost in. Under the bed used to be the farthest a butt naked Sammy could go.

"Mac!" Dean yelled and went over to the bathroom. That was always the first place he looked and he was sure that one day he would find Mac there just having a potty break. So far, no such luck.

Dean and Sam had spent the first day back in the bunker making the place as safe as possible for little pigs but somehow Mac managed to get past closed doors and blocked doorways. Dean hadn't caught him doing it but he wouldn't put it beyond the little guy to just teleport wherever he wanted to go.

"Mac!" Dean yelled again but Mac didn't hear him or didn't want to hear him. Hide and seek was a nice addition to the exploring game, Dean guessed with a curse under his breath.

"I can still hear you laughing." He called out to his brother who didn't even bother to get his butt out of the chair to help him anymore. So far Dean had always found Mac before he could get hurt and the one time he didn't find him Mac had been back in the kitchen at dinner time.

It took Dean half an hour until he found Mac in one of the storage rooms, a box with files ripped open and the content spilled all over the floor. Mac looked at him with innocent eyes and a piece of paper in his mouth.

"Sam is going to kill you for this." Dean commented on that sight but Mac just kept chewing on the paper. "C'mon, let's get you back to your own toys."

Dean made a step farther into the room to pick him up but at the last second Mac dashed forward. His little feet skittered on the blank floor but he tunneled Dean's legs and was out of the room before Dean could even blink.

"I liked you better when you couldn't run." Dean muttered and went after the pig. At least his own leg felt fine by now, he'd been lucky there, so he could give Mac a chase. Which the little guy enjoyed way too much.

Ten minutes later and out of breath Dean was back in the library with Mac in his arms. The pig looked smug and Dean was glad that he couldn't actually tell Sam how often Dean had crashed into walls before he got his hands on him.

"Here." Dean dumped the pig in Sam's lap. "You keep an eye on him while I finish up in the kitchen. Dinner should be ready in half an hour."

Sam didn't protest but why should he? Worn out like he was, Mac settled in Sam's lap and as long as he had a hand free to pet him Mac would just lie there and let Sam work.

"Traitor." Dean muttered and went back to preparing dinner.

It had turned out that Mac devoured the dog food but Dean always made sure to give him something real, too. So Mac had half a can of that dog stuff and a piece of lasagna for dessert while the brothers had their lasagna with a side of salad. The salad was for Sam's benefit and it was bad enough that Dean had to eat it so there was no reason to punish Mac with it as well. Secretly Dean feared that the pig would love the salad so he didn't want to push his luck there. Bad enough that Mac dug into the smelly mess they called dog food with so much gusto.

When it was time to turn in Mac followed Dean to his bedroom. Nobody commented on that anymore. The first nights Dean had put Mac to bed in his own bed with the shirts and the blanket and Mac had gone to sleep there but somehow he always ended up in Dean's bed anyway. Most of the time Dean didn't even notice when his little bed fellow joined him, he just woke up in the morning, spooning the pig.

One time Mac woke him up from a nightmare, though. Dean jolted awake, bathed in cold sweat and chest heaving, but there was a cold snout nuzzling along his throat, bringing him back to the here and now. He caught Mac in a trembling embrace and just clung to him until he could breathe again. After that he didn't try to make Mac sleep in his dog bed anymore and just took him to bed with him.

The first time Sam saw it he raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word. After that it was just a thing Dean did. He slept better with Mac at his side. So what?

When Dean was sure that Mac would listen to him when it counted, somehow the little guy seemed to know when it was safe to not listen and let Dean run around in circles in the bunker, he decided to take their training to the next level.

"'I'm going out to get some groceries." Dean announced over breakfast. "You need anything?"

Sam shook his head and put his dishes in the sink.

"I'll take Mac with me."

Now Sam turned around, eyes on the pig still busy with his own breakfast who perked up when he heard his name.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked.

"I want to test the glamor thing." Dean said into his mug of coffee. "If we screw up here it doesn't matter. You know, people do have pigs as pets."

Sam thought about it but didn't come up with a reason not to do it. Because Dean was right, they had to test it under controlled circumstances and not in the middle of a hunt.

And he just new that Margret would love Mac, no matter if he came in as a piglet or a puppy.

"Hey, Mac." Dean called not much later, harness in hand. "We're going out."

The pig bolted out of nowhere, ran a circle around Dean and then head butted the harness to get Dean going.

"Easy there, little fellow." Dean laughed and buckled him into the harness. "This is not just for fun."

He crouched down so that they could look each other in the eye. Sensing that this was serious Mac went still and watched him intensely. Not for the first time Dean got the feeling that there was more going on behind those eyes than he would expect from a pig. But Mac wasn't just an ordinary pig.

"I want you to be this." He held up the box with the Golden Retriever puppy on the front. "Make everybody we meet think you look like this."

Mac held his gaze for a moment longer before his eyes shifted over to the box. Dean let him study the picture for a moment before he reached into the box and took out a handful of biscuits.

"You play puppy for me and you get these when we get back." He showed him the biscuits but placed them out of reach on a shelf. Mac followed them with his eyes and then his attention snapped back to the box.

Dean had no idea if Mac even understood what the deal was but he was willing to take his chances.

"Okay, let's go."

During the ride Dean glanced at Mac in his usual place in the foot room but so far he looked like a pig. Which meant nothing. When he'd done the glamor thing earlier Sam and Dean hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Dean parked in front of the grocery store and peered inside. This was his usual time to do the groceries and more often than not he was the only customer. Aside from Margret behind the counter he couldn't see anybody in the store so maybe he was lucky today. He didn't want too many people cooing over Mac.

"C'mere, little puppy." Dean clicked the leash in the harness and together they entered the store.

Margret had probably seen his car outside because she had already a warm smile on her lips when Dean stepped through the door. It grew even wider when she noticed he wasn't alone.

"Who is this adorable fellow?" She asked, already half-way around the counter.

"Dean." He answered with a grin. "And this is Mac."

She rolled her eyes at him and slapped in his general direction.

"You didn't tell me you got a dog." She said and crouched down in front of Mac. "When did you get a dog? You didn't have one last time you were here, did you? I would be very disappointed if you had him and didn't tell me, young man."

"Only got him a few days ago." Dean admitted. "He's a bit shy around people."

Margret nodded in understanding and kept her distance. She didn't loom over Mac or force herself on him which Dean really appreciated. Margret was the best.

When she slowly extended her hand, Mac sniffed at her fingers and then inched closer until she could scratch him behind the ear. Mac closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure.

"There you go." She said with a happy smile.

To Dean nothing had changed, there was still a pig at the end of the leash but to Margret he clearly was a dog.

"Good boy." Dean muttered with a grin.


	7. Chapter 7

"Go, get your things, Dean." Margret said without looking at Dean, she had only eyes for Mac. "I'll watch him."

She was still in a crouch in front of Mac, Dean didn't want to think about her hip or knees, they had to ache in this position, but then both, the woman and the pig, looked up at him with such pleading eyes that Dean just dropped the leash in her waiting hand.

"Stay." He ordered but Mac didn't look like he wanted to go anywhere any time soon. As long as Margret was cooing over him, he wouldn't move an inch. Dean gave the pig a warning glare and hoped that Mac would stay in character even without Dean at his side.

Dean had never rushed through the store like this before. Lucky him, the store wasn't that big and he'd been here often enough to know exactly were to find what he was looking for. He couldn't help the glances he threw at Mac every time he came into his line of sight.

On the other hand, this was a great test for Mac's ability to keep the glamor up and it gained Dean points with Margret. Not that Dean wasn't her favorite customer already, at least that was what she had told him more than once but who knew who else she'd told that, but it never hurt to stay on her good side. She used to sneak an extra apple or a candy bar into his bag when she was in a good mood. Sam loved the apples. He never saw one of the candy bars, though.

Margret had gone back behind the counter where she had a chair, her knees did give her some trouble these days, Dean knew that, and she had Mac in her lap now. One hand was always working that spot behind Mac's ear.

"You ran out of peanut butter?" Disappointed Dean came back to the counter. He had found everything on his list except for the peanut butter Sam liked for his disgusting peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Dean had no idea why he even bothered to get the ingredients for that abomination. But Sam liked it and if he could make his brother happy with some peanut butter, Dean was all for it. Sam deserved something good from time to time.

"I expect the next delivery some time during the week." Margret said and started ringing his things. She was working one-handed, her other hand still firmly attached to Mac, so it took longer than usual for her to scan everything.

"Wait." Suddenly her face lit up with a smile. "You might be lucky."

She ducked behind the counter, Mac still in her arm and Dean started to seriously wonder if he would get his pig back in the end.

"Knew it." She came back up with a triumphant grin on her face and a jar of peanut butter in her hand. "The Olsen kid was short on money and had to leave it." She explained, her smile faltering for a second. "His loss, your gain, right?"

"Right." Dean added the jar to his pile. It felt weird to take it but Margret could have put it back on the shelf already and he would have never known. He paid for his things and grabbed the bags.

"And my dog, please." He held out his hand for the leash.

"What dog?" Margret closed her arms protectively around Mac but then she handed the leash over. "You be a good dog for Dean, won't you?" She took Mac's face in both hands and gave his head a playful shake.

"He is a good boy." Dean said with pride in his voice. Mac had done really good, better than Dean had expected if he was honest.

"Just make sure to bring him next time." Margret straightened and brushed out her skirt. "Otherwise I will be very mad at you and won't have peanut butter behind the counter."

Dean laughed to that but promised to bring Mac. And he had every intention to do so. It would be good training for Mac and the way Margret looked at the little guy he just didn't have the heart to disappoint her.

Back at the bunker Mac immediately went for the shelf and set back on his haunches, looking up at where the biscuits were waiting for him.

"Yeah, you earned those." Dean hurried to give him the treats, impressed that Mac even remembered their deal. But Mac had kept his end of it and so he got his reward. While Mac was happily munching the biscuits Dean went over to the kitchen to store the groceries.

Turned out that this time Margret had sneaked in some extra treats for his "dog".

"How did it go?" Sam strolled in and went for the nearest bag.

"Really good." Dean put the bananas in the fridge. "Margret almost didn't give him back."

"And she saw him as a puppy?" Sam found the peanut butter and Dean had to turn around to hide his pleased smile when he saw the expression on Sam's face. His brother was so easy.

"Yep." Dean let the word pop. "Golden Retriever puppy all the way."

Later that evening they sat in the library, the books and notes spread all over the tables, but they had abandoned the research and were now sitting there with a beer, just enjoying each other's company.

"We should take him on a job." Dean said out of the blue.

"Shouldn't we wait a little while longer?" Sam asked, doubt clearly written over his face.

When it came to his own abilities, Sam was quick to declare himself fit for the job but when it came to everybody else, he would wait until eternity before he would let them back in the field. Dean had that argument before, thank you very much.

"He won't be a bother." Dean was sure of that. Mac was sleeping in his bed in the corner and Dean couldn't help the fond smile on his face when he looked over. "He knows when to follow my lead."

They had only trained for a few days and Mac shouldn't be this good at following Dean's commands just yet but he was. And Dean was pretty sure that Mac understood way more than was normal for a pig. He wasn't willing to bet his life on Mac not making a mistake if he could help it but he was willing to take the risk and take Mac with them on a hunt. For the dangerous part Mac would stay in the car anyway.

Mac was a good distraction but Dean knew he needed to work. He needed the thrill of the hunt, of the kill, to keep the Mark of Cain under control. It wasn't that bad at the moment but the novelty of having Mac around would wear off eventually and Dean didn't want to hurt the little guy.

It had been easier with only Sam around. He didn't want to hurt his brother either but at least he knew that Sam would put up a fight. Mac was helpless.

Sam studied him for a long moment and Dean wasn't sure how much of his thoughts his brother could read in his expression but judging by the hoarse "okay" Sam gave him, Sam could read him better than he liked.

"Try to find us an easy one." Dean teased and took a sip from the bottle.

"The ones that look easy at first are usually the hardest." Sam replied with a snort.

Sam did find them a case only half a day's ride away. Some gruesome murders the authorities didn't know what to do with. Sadly it didn't come with a note saying "Dig up Aunt Julie and set the bitch on fire!". It was never that easy.

What else wasn't easy was getting ready for a road trip with their new addition to the family.

The Winchester brothers had packing down to an art. They knew what they needed and how to fit it in one bag without crinkling the suit. They could go from "waking up" to "ready to leave" in under ten minutes. However, neither of them had traveled with a little pig before.

"He needs his bed." Dean insisted, ready for a tug of war with the bed when Sam didn't let go of it.

"As if he's going to sleep in it." Sam countered and shoved the bundle of shirts and blanket in Dean's arms instead. "Here, make him his nest in the foot room."

Blindsided Dean caught the bundle but didn't know what to do next. Thinking about it Sam was right with the bed. It would only take up space in the car and Mac would end up sleeping in Dean's bed anyway.

"Alright." Dean let go of the bed. "Just make sure to pack his toys. And the treats, you always forget the treats."

Muttering under his breath Dean went to set up Mac's place in the car. Technically they had a dog crate for traveling but Dean had no idea why Sam had bought it in the first place. Did he really think that Dean would cram Mac into that thing? That crazy lady had probably forced it on him. Honestly, Dean had no idea where the crate even was. Sam had put it into storage with a few other things they would never need and hadn't mentioned it since. One more reason he loved that giant fool of a brother.

"What else do we need?" Dean thought aloud when he put the bag with the toys into the trunk. Sam had even brought the treats, good boy.

They had an argument over the bowls.

And one over the litter box.

In the end both stayed at home. Mac could eat out of the burger wrapper just like Dean and would probably be neater about it, Sam's words not his. Sam would wake up with a dick drawn on his forehead for that one, Dean promised him silently.

As for the litter box, they would just take Mac outside whenever he needed to go. He was pretty good at letting them know when it was time to go for a walk by now.

"Just remember." Dean locked eyes with Mac who watched every move they made with interest. "Accidents on Sam's stuff."

The sound the little guy made could be interpreted as agreement or a snort, Dean wasn't sure which but it was good enough for him.

They left the bunker almost two hours later than intended and Dean was still sure that they had forgotten an integral thing Mac would need. In the end it turned out that he'd forgotten to pack his own toothbrush but he could live with that.

This time Mac was well rested and almost fully healed so he was restless from the beginning. Dean was proud of Sam for withstanding the pleading eyes and tiny feet on his shin for almost thirty seconds before he scooped the little guy up and put him in his lap. Mac looked very pleased with himself.

They had a few more potty breaks than usual, and Dean had to admit that it was nice to stretch his legs once in a while, but other than that the ride was rather boring. Mac loved watching the landscape flying by and as long as Sam was petting him, he stayed in his lap without squirming.

Dean glanced over at the two of them and couldn't help the little ping of jealousy in his chest.

He turned on the radio so he didn't have to listen to Sam talking sweet nonsense to the pig. After fiddling around for a bit he found a classic station which seemed to have a marathon of his all time favorites running. He wasn't sure what was better, the music or Sam's bitchface when Dean sang along with every single song. Either way, it lifted his mood.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean was freaking out.

Something was about to happen. Something big. Apocalyptic big.

At first he hadn't noticed it but the signs were everywhere.

The radio station played all his favorite songs, his top three at least twice.

Until they reached their destination they were almost alone on the road. And the few other drivers he saw over the day weren't assholes who tried to kill themselves or others with their driving.

Traffic became thicker when they rolled into town, there seemed to be some kind of fair going on this week, but it still moved smoothly.

Every traffic light was green.

There was only one slot in the parking lot left, just waiting for the Impala, when Dean stopped at a motel for the night.

He left Sam and Mac in the car and went inside to get them a room but packed as the parking lot was, he was pretty sure that the place was booked to the last broom closet but he at least hoped that the clerk could point him in the direction to another motel. Preferably here and not two towns over.

"Have a nice day, sir." The woman behind the counter finished a phone call and then turned to him with a smile. "Welcome to the Harvest Lodge. What can I do for you?"

"A room please." Dean said, he could at least try. "Two singles."

"Lucky you." Her smile brightened. "We're completely booked because of the fair, you know, but somebody just canceled their reservation."

"Lucky me." Dean repeated numbly and paid for the room.

Fate was playing nice. Fate never played nice. Not with him. That bitch hated him.

He tried to act normal but made sure that his gun was in his waistband and the knives were where they were supposed to be. Just in case.

"You got a room?" Sam asked with disbelieve in his voice. He had eyes. Dean was pretty sure he'd noticed all the cars around him and how busy the town was. Hell, they even had billboards up for this stupid fair. Billboards. If Dean was honest, he had almost expected to sleep in the car. But here he was with the keys in his hand.

"We're lucky." Dean slipped in the driver's seat. "Somebody just canceled their reservation."

"Uhh." Sam made but the light frown on his face told Dean that he wasn't taking this seriously enough. But most of the trip Sam had been busy with Mac so he probably hadn't noticed the green lights or the parking lot. And the music was just Dean's music to him, Dean wasn't sure if Sam even knew what his favorite songs were.

Dean had no idea how to put his feeling in words. It sounded stupid in his own head that he became suspicious over green lights, so he said nothing and drove them over to their room at the far end of the building, away from the noise and the people.

He doubted Mac would need a disguise at all to get into their room without anybody noticing. Which didn't help to put Dean's mind at ease. Quite the opposite.

He felt the Mark, hot and burning, under his sleeve and he fought the urge to rub it. By the time he dropped his bag on his bed, his whole arm was tingling.

"Nice room." Sam commented. He put Mac down who was off to explore every last corner of the room a second later.

"Hmm." Dean made. He didn't like the room. Not one bit. It was nice, no question about that. It was too nice. It wasn't just clean, it looked freshly renovated. With spotless white walls, tasteful prints on the walls but not too many. The beds looked comfortable with white linen which smelled faintly of lavender. No burn-holes in the carpet which was also new. No suspicious strains or moldy spots in the corners.

"Dean?" Suddenly Sam stood close to him, hand hovering over his shoulder as if he wanted to touch but didn't dare. "You alright, man?"

Dean blinked and rubbed his face. "Yeah. Just tired."

It was a lie, they both knew it, but neither of them commented on it.

At his feet Mac made a questioning noise and Dean felt the small body pressed against his shin. Mac was trembling.

"Hey." Dean forced his voice into a gentle tone and scooped the little guy up. The pig was sensitive to his mood swings, he'd noticed that over the last few days, and he didn't want to spook him farther. "It's okay."

Mac snuggled deeper into his arms, snout almost in the pit of his arm and body pressed firmly against his chest.

"It's okay." Dean repeated and it was. He could breathe easier and the tension melted out of his body. Maybe he was just tired.

Sam gave him one last glance and then retreated to the bathroom for a shower. It was too early for a shower even if they didn't start working on the case today, it was too late in the day for that, but if Sam wanted to give him some space, Dean was the last one to complain.

"Just you and me now." Dean sat down on his bed with a sigh. It was as soft and fluffy as it looked but for now Dean was content with just accepting it.

In his arms Mac squirmed around until he was lying on his back, feet in the air and his belly ready for a good rub.

"You greedy little bastard." Dean said with the hint of a laugh and it didn't even sound hysterical. Focused on rubbing Mac's belly he could put the uneasy feeling aside for the moment.

It was barely 6 pm when Sam came out of the bathroom in his sleepwear and sat down at the table to work on his laptop. It was too late for interviews but he could work his magic online.

While Sam did that, Dean and Mac lay sprawled out on the bed, watching TV. Of course the room had a giant TV and a huge cable package. Not that Dean's channel surfing went farther than the second channel. He was just right on time for a Dr. Sexy re-run marathon. They started with his favorite episode and he was pretty sure the preview he saw for the next two were for episodes he'd missed so far.

His paranoia spiked again at that but this was Dr. Sexy so he let it slide. He even put up with Sam's comments, at least those were normal. But by the end of the first episode Sam had abandoned his laptop and had made himself comfortable on his bed.

The teasing comments changed to interested questions and Dean didn't mind educating his brother.

_Gotcha_, Dean thought when Sam started arguing with the people on the screen.

What did put Dean's mind to ease was the pizza. They ordered in and when there was no two for one deal going on and they had to pay extra for the extra cheese Sam wanted on his pizza, Dean allowed himself to relax and enjoy the comfortable bed and the episode he was watching. He felt even better when the pizza was late.

The unholy streak of luck was broken. Finally.

Since he was the one still decently dressed, Dean opened the door when the delivery boy knocked over half an hour too late.

Dean greeted him with a smile and a generous tip already in his hand but the boy didn't want the money. He was too late so the pizza was free. Of course it was. Dean wanted to punch something.

In the end Dean grabbed the boy's hat, crammed the money in and put it back on the stunned guy's head. Then he closed the door in his face.

The pizza was still hot.

It was the best pizza Dean ever had.

By now Dean was a hair-trigger away from exploding.

What made it worse was that he didn't feel like he could escape this. It, whatever it was, had followed him all day. Since they'd left the bunker. He doubted that he could outrun it.

So he ate his pizza, it was a really good pizza, and planned their defense in his head.

Sam still hadn't caught on and when Dean pointed it out to him, his brother just shrugged it off with a "So you're lucky for once, enjoy it." and turned his attention back to the TV.

Dean wasn't sure if Sam getting sucked into his favorite show counted as part of the phenomenon or not. It did, however, trigger a memory of one certain archangel. Dean made a mental note to ward the room extra tight against angels. He wasn't sure if there was a way to keep tricksters in general out, though. Maybe Sam knew something about that.

However, before he could salt all the windows and disfigure the fresh white walls with warding sigils, Dean had to use the bathroom.

It was a nice bathroom, new and clean as the rest of their room. Dean just accepted it with a muttered "of course".

The toothbrush put him over the edge.

"Sam!" He yelled and stormed back to the main room. "We're leaving."

"What?" Sam was on his feet and in a loose fighting stance a second later, searching the room for the threat.

"There's a toothbrush in the bathroom." Dean grabbed his bag and started packing. When he turned around he nearly fell over Mac who made frightened little noises and tried to press himself to his leg without getting kicked around. With a sigh Dean picked him up and set him on the bed.

Over the last few seconds Sam hadn't moved.

"And?" He finally asked, still ready for a fight but not packing his stuff.

"When have you ever seen a toothbrush in one of these motels?" Dean asked, now stuffing Sam's clothes into his brother's bag.

"Ehm." Sam made, thinking.

"Exactly." Dean pointed a finger at him. "Those small bars of soap. Yes. Those sorry excuses for shampoo and body wash? Yes. Toothbrush? No. Not ever."

Sam visibly relaxed. "That's why you're freaking out? Because they're nicer than usual?"

"I'm freaking out because the one time I forget my toothbrush is the one time a motel bathroom has one waiting for me." Dean shook his head. "I can live with the other stuff, maybe I do have a lucky day, but that?" He pointed in the general direction of the bathroom and the offending toothbrush. "That's not normal, that's no coincidence."

Finally he saw understanding dawning on Sam's face.

"Somebody's messing with us, Sammy." Dean said with one last look around the room. Sam was still in his sleepwear but he could change somewhere along the road. They had to get out of here. Now.

The Mark was flooding his body with adrenalin and calming his mind at the same time. He was ready for a fight, ready to kill. His body vibrated and he was tense like a bow string, just waiting to snap. If he didn't actually do something in the next few seconds, he would start punching holes in the wall.

Flight or fight. He couldn't fight this but he could run.

Somehow Mac had managed to get off the bed and he was back at his feet now, making those noises again.

Dean scooped him up with his left hand so that he still had his right one free for a weapon.

"Don't worry, buddy." He murmured. "We're leaving."

Suddenly there was a noise behind him.

Without even thinking Dean swirled around, gun in his hand. Next to him Sam had his gun out as well. They were aiming at the back of the laptop on the table.

"I closed it." Sam said in a low voice, almost lost in the loud moaning coming from the now open and powered up laptop.

Slowly Dean circled the table. He had Mac still under his arm but the little guy seemed to sense his tension and didn't move.

Dean didn't have to be close enough to read the URL. He knew the layout. BustyAsianBeauties. And he was pretty sure he knew the video which was currently playing. It had been one of his favorites.

He'd mourned it when the site went out of business a few years ago.


	9. Chapter 9

For a moment the only sound in the room was coming from the video still playing on the laptop. Dean knew it would get louder in a second here, the good part was about to start. Of course it would jump right to the good part. Whoever was behind this was done with foreplay.

With Mac still under his arm Dean had to use the hand with the gun to close the laptop. It was just for a second but he really didn't like the feeling of vulnerability. His gun was up and ready again a heartbeat later.

After the sound of the video had died he glanced around the room, waiting for their attacker's next move. This asshole had been playing with him all day and he doubted he would stop now.

Dean didn't need to see the Mark on his arm to know it was glowing dirty red. It felt like it wanted to burn a hole into the fabric covering it up. Dean vibrated with tension. He was ready for a fight. He wanted to kill.

"Show yourself!" He yelled. Knowing that Sam had his back he made a half-circle, expecting the attack from every direction. Years of practice let him fall in step with Sam who kept an eye on the other half of the room.

Nothing happened.

Dean pressed Mac protectively against his chest. He didn't want Mac to run around now, chances were too high that one of them would trip over the pig or worse that Mac ended up in the crossfire somehow.

The pig tried to squirm his way closer to Dean, a low whine coming from him. He was in clear distress but if it was because of Dean's tension or if he was sensing something else, Dean couldn't tell. So he just tightened his grip around the trembling body in his arm, trying to sooth Mac without letting his guard down.

Out of the corner of his eye Dean saw Sam suddenly lowering the gun.

"Sam?" He asked, eyes still darting around the room in search for the perpetrator who still failed to show himself.

"Dean it's okay." Letting his guard completely down, Sam tucked his gun away and turned towards Dean. "I know what's happening."

He knew he could trust Sam's judgment, if he said it was okay, it most likely was, but Dean had been on edge for hours now, anticipation slowly building up in the back of his mind, he couldn't just let it go. If he couldn't fight this, he had to run. The tension had to go somewhere.

There was a humming in his ears and he was drenched in cold sweat. His senses were sharp but Sam's voice sounded distant.

"Dean?" Sam's hand landed on his arm, gently pushing it down. "Give me the gun, Dean."

When Sam's fingers closed around his fist. Dean wanted to jerk away but Sam didn't let go of his hand.

Dean was in a fight, their lives were in danger, he couldn't let go of his weapon.

Suddenly Mac pressed his snout against Dean's arm, right where the Mark was hidden under his sleeves. Dean blinked at the new sensation, for a moment he had totally forgotten about the pig under his arm.

Sam used his moment of confusion to pry the gun out of his hand.

"Dean, I need you to calm down." Sam said and he didn't sound so distant anymore. "I'm not ready for dead people coming through the door or whatever the next level is."

"Dead people?" Dean repeated numbly. With the gun gone he had both hands free for Mac and he used them to bring the little guy even closer to his chest. He'd still no idea what was going on but the worst seemed to be over. The Mark backed off and Dean was able to think again.

"I can explain this." Sam ducked his head to look him in the eye. "But I need you to calm down. Can you do that?"

Dean nodded but he wasn't sure if he actually could calm down. He would feel better if he had his gun back, though. Instead he tightened his hold on the pig in his arms.

He hated this. He hated what the Mark did to him. He hated that Sam had to talk him down like he was some mental nutcase.

He took a deep breath. Mac's snout was now nuzzling his throat, it tickled, and somehow that helped him to ground himself. He took another deep breath and nodded again. He could do this. If he got an explanation in the next five seconds.

"What were you talking about dead people?" Dean asked, his voice almost steady.

"I doubt he can actually do that." Sam said, running his fingers through his hair. "Not the real deal, maybe some kind of illusion."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean focused on the annoyance he felt for his brother. As long as he was annoyed, everything was good.

"Mac." Sam gestured at the pig in Dean's arms who was still sniffing and nuzzling at Dean's throat.

"Are you saying he's doing this?" Suddenly he was very aware of the fact that there was a supernatural creature right at his throat. Pigs had sharp teeth, too.

Mac gave a startled sound when Dean almost dropped him. He didn't toss him through the room, which would have been his first instinct, but he did put the pig on the floor and hurried to step away from him. Mac was cute and adorable but he was not a normal pig, he should never have forgotten that.

Confused Mac looked up at him and made a hesitant step in his direction. Dean took another step back. Mac whined at the rejection, the sad noise cutting deep into Dean's soul.

"Christ, Dean." Sam scooped Mac up and let him nestle into the crook of his arm. "Mac's not evil. He's trying to help."

"By playing porn?" This didn't make sense.

"He's trying to make you happy." Sam snapped back but his voice softened when he spoke to the pig in his arm. "You were trying to make him happy, weren't you?"

It still didn't make sense to Dean but since they didn't seem to be in immediate danger he was willing to at least listen.

They sat down at the table. Sam had Mac still in his arms but it was clear that the pig would rather be with Dean. He squirmed and whined until Dean's heart just broke.

"Oh, c'mere." He opened his arms and the pig scrambled over the table with a happy squeal. He landed in his lap with a head dive, snout and at least one foot landing in places Dean really didn't want them to land, but a second later Mac had arranged himself in his lap with a happy sigh.

"Okay, spill." Dean glared at his brother.

"Remember when I said that in some parts of Europe pigs are seen as lucky charms?" Sam asked.

Dean didn't remember that particular piece of information but a lucky charm sounded right. However, charms almost never just worked good magic. There was always a catch hidden somewhere. Like that one rabbit's foot, that had been one hell of a deadly lucky charm.

"I'm just guessing here." Sam continued without meeting his eye. "But I assume you were a bit anxious when we left for the hunt this morning." He didn't outright say it but his gaze flickered to the Mark. Of course it did. Everything came down to the Mark these days.

Dean had no idea where this was heading but he gave his brother a short nod.

"I think Mac sensed that." Sam hurried to get on with his explanation. "So he tried to calm you down."

"The music." Dean realized.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, warming up to the topic. "And it worked, at least for a while."

Dean thought about their ride here. How smoothly it went. It started to make sense now.

"But then you noticed that something was going on." Sam prompted.

"And I became suspicious." _Paranoid_ was the word in his mind but he didn't say it out loud. Sam didn't need to know how bad it had been. On the other hand, Sam had witnessed his meltdown over a toothbrush.

Dean saw it now. The more he'd freaked out the harder Mac had tried to calm him down. He groaned. Sam was right, dead people showing up on their doorstep didn't seem that unlikely anymore. If Mac had been desperate enough to alter reality to bring back his favorite porn in his attempt to calm him down, who knew what else he was able to do?

"It was spiraling out of control." Sam confirmed his thoughts. "I don't know what his next step would be but bringing back somebody you lost seems likely. Or strippers. I'm not ready for either."

Dean had only eyes for Mac now who seemed to be happy that his world was intact again and he was allowed back in Dean's arms.

"You're some conning little shit, aren't you?" Dean said and scratched him behind the ear. Mac hummed in response and closed his eyes.

"He is." Sam let out a relieved breath. "And that was some strong mojo. I didn't know a Twrch Trwyth could do that."

"A what?"

"Twrch Trwyth?" Sam repeated as if it should mean something to him. "That's what he is. Have you even been listening to me when we were …" He cut himself off in the middle of the sentence, wide eyes on Mac.

Dean had the feeling that the pig understood way more than was usual for a pig so it was probably a good thing that Sam didn't remind him that they'd basically murdered his mother. He wasn't sure what the pig was capable of if he was angry. If he was honest, he wasn't keen to find out.

"Give me the box with the biscuits, would you?" Dean changed the topic. "After all this stress he deserves a little goodie."

Mac perked up at that.

"Just to be clear." Dean held up a biscuit which gave him Mac's full attention. "I'm totally okay if you do small stuff like the music, that's cool man. But leave the big stuff. No more porn for me." He paused. "Did I just say that?"

"You did." Sam was fighting a losing battle against the laughter and Mac used the moment Dean was distracted to snag the biscuit out of his hand.

"Stop it. Both of you." Dean glared from one to the other but felt a smile tucking at his lips.

"So we're staying?" Sam asked with a gesture at their bags still packed in the middle of the room.

"We're staying." Dean confirmed and for the first time he could really appreciate the room. It was a nice room. "Since Mac worked so hard to get this room for us."

Minutes later Mac was fast asleep and Dean put him down in his usual nest on his bed. Altering reality seemed to be exhausting.

The brothers stood at the end of the bed, just watching the little guy sleep.

"He's just a baby." Sam said in a quiet voice to not disturb him. "You think he understands what he's doing? Or is he just grasping at things that make you happy?"

"I've no idea." Dean shook his head. He stifled a yawn. "I don't know about you but I'm beat. You can do your research thing tomorrow."

"And there's still a case here." Sam reminded him.

"You know what the good thing about this is?" Dean asked with a wide grin. "For once we have luck on our side."


	10. Chapter 10

With the tension finally gone Dean felt just drained and with another yawn he crawled under the covers not much later. The bed was as comfortable as it looked and it was almost as comfy as his memory foam mattress at home.

Without waking up Mac snuggled closer and when Dean fell asleep he had his arm around the little guy who slept with his back pressed against Dean's chest.

A wet snout to the face woke him up in the morning which was not his favorite way to wake up but when he blinked his eyes open and looked into the depths of a piggy nostril he couldn't help but smile.

"Morning, sunshine." He murmured, voice still sleep rusty, and reached out to scratch Mac behind the ear. The pig hummed with closed eyes for a moment but then he butted his head against Dean's hand in an urgent manner.

"You need to go outside?" Dean guessed. Mac made a happy sound which Dean translated as "Stupid human got it in one".

Dean heard the shower running so he didn't even bother to turn around to see if his brother was dressed for a walk with the pig.

"Just give me a sec to put some pants on." Dean muttered and rolled out of bed. By the time he was decently dressed, Mac had started whining at the door.

"Your turn." If pigs could roll their eyes Mac would have done that right now, Dean was sure of that, but he stood still long enough for Dean to put him in the harness and click the leash on. "Okay, Mac. Puppy time."

Dean couldn't tell if the pig was working his glamor or not so he just had to trust Mac on this. Dean opened the door and peered outside. The motel was packed so there were people around but nobody paid him or Mac any attention. Mac held out until they reached the end of the building where some trees separated the parking lot from the street. He didn't have to been told twice, he just darted forward and did his business at a tree.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Dean asked when Mac started to explore the area. Today they would work on the case which meant interviewing a whole bunch of people. For Mac it meant a boring day, sitting around or waiting in the car while the humans talked. So it was probably a good idea to burn some energy now.

Dean got his phone out and sent a quick text to Sam, telling him that they were out to get some coffee.

It was the middle of the week and still early in the morning but the town was busy. Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to be there when people would actually have time to enjoy the fair in the afternoon.

There was a diner just down the street but Dean was in no hurry to get there. He let Mac set the pace and the pig took his time, exploring every inch of the way.

Not that Mac was the only reason for their delay.

"Aren't you adorable?" A young woman crouched in front of Mac and Dean couldn't help but notice the clear view he had on her cleavage. Dean made a mental note to take Mac outside more often, it seemed like a good way to meet people. They had a nice little chat and when they parted Dean couldn't help but smile. He should probably question if Mac was doing something here but for once he just enjoyed it.

The didn't make it far before they were stopped again.

"Golden Retriever? Great dogs." An older guy with his own dog on a leash said. "This is Josephine. She's a dachshund."

Dean fought the urge to say "Gesundheit." and just smiled while he guy told him about Josephine's bloodline and how much time it took to groom her every day and how picky she was with her food. After two sentences Dean tuned him out and watched the two animals instead.

Mac was clearly curious, pulling at his leash, while Josephine backed off with a warning growl. For a moment they just stood there, watching each other with wary interest on her side and barley concealed enthusiasm on Mac's. All Mac saw was probably a new playmate but what Josephine saw, Dean was not quite sure. The way the short legged dog eyed the other "dog", Dean was pretty sure that Mac's glamor didn't fool her at all. Good to know. He wondered if all animals could see right through it. And what about supernatural beings? He should put Sam on research on that.

When they finally reached the diner, it was packed.

"Good thing we didn't come to sit here for breakfast." Dean muttered under his breath. The word _lucky_ hung in the back of his mind but he ignored it with a glance at Mac who innocently stood pressed against his leg. With so many people around the pig stayed glued to Dean but he watched everything around him with interest.

Dean ordered coffee and breakfast to go and had to wait quite a while before his food was prepared. At least he was lucky and got the first cups from a fresh pot of coffee. He didn't even bother to glance at Mac.

"And something for the cute little fellow." The waitress put another container into the bag. "Just some kitchen scraps." She explained and handed Dean the bag.

Dean thanked her and payed for the food but he couldn't help but wonder if this was because of Mac's luck thing going on or because of his cuteness in general.

When he unpacked their breakfast back at the motel room, Dean found not only bits of meat in the container like he had expected but also pieces of apple and melon, a few grapes and bits of pancakes soggy with syrup. Not exactly what he would give to a dog. Mac however, being a pig, had his snout in it before Dean could put the container on the floor.

He looked smug for a pig.

Dean just shook his head and dug into his own breakfast.

"There's not much I could find out about this murders online." Sam brought up the reason they were here. "Looks like the police is keeping a tight lid on this."

"With the fair going on? No surprise here." Dean took a sip of his coffee. "Especially if they don't have any suspects."

"Yeah." Sam skimmed through the few notes he had. "They probably don't want to risk a panic."

"So, police station first?" Dean asked and Sam just nodded. He was already dressed in his suit.

A quick shower later Dean buttoned up his dress shirt while his mind was on Mac who had made himself comfortable on Dean's bed again.

"You think we can take him with us?" He really didn't want to leave Mac in the car for a longer period of time.

Sam gave him a shrug. "We can always say he's a police dog in training."

Dean just nodded and hoped that nobody would actually ask.

Five seconds after they had entered the police station Dean knew he would take Mac everywhere he could get away with it. The change in the attitude was amazing.

Usually when they introduced themselves as FBI agents the police officers became wary. Nobody liked it when the FBI showed up and tried to tell them how to do their job. With Mac around nobody really paid attention to Sam and Dean, everybody was just cooing over the cute little Golden Retriever puppy.

There were several offers to look after Mac while the officer in charge, a stern man in his fifties who fell for Mac in two seconds flat, gave them the details of the case. In the end Dean wasn't even sure who had taken Mac with them and he just hoped that he would get his pig back later. This was a police station, there were laws against pig stealing, right?

"He's going to be so spoiled." Dean sighed but then focused on what Officer Adams had to say.

"Two victims." The man said but the _so far_ hung unspoken in the air between them. "Melissa Nolan and Frank Lane. Both dismembered in their beds." He showed them pictures of the crime scenes.

It looked like Freddy Krueger was their prime suspect. Dean whistled through his teeth.

"We don't need a stretcher in there. We need a mop!" He said and looked around, waiting for their reaction. Both, Sam and Officer Adams, just stared at him. "C'mon. Nightmare on Elm Street? Anyone?"

Sam's expression turned into something pained while the officer cleared his throat and started talking about the case again. Dean sighed.

Apparently the two victims didn't know each other, Melissa lived in town while Frank had been on his way through. As far as the police could tell they had never met.

Melissa had been found by her sister when she brought over her kids for Melissa to babysit, thankfully the kids hadn't seen anything, while Frank had been found in his motel room by a maid. There was nothing stolen and there were no signs of a fight or forced entry.

"Listen, gentlemen." Officer Adams braced himself on the desk. "I have no idea who did this or how but I want this to stop. My superior is breathing down my neck, he wants this solved as quickly as possible without disturbing the fair." He paused, making eye contact first with Dean then with Sam. "This is a small town and this fair is a big deal. Lots of tourists, lots of money. I couldn't care less but this is politics." He sat back in his chair, hands raised in a defensive manner.

"Don't worry, we're going to be as discreet as possible." Sam hurried to assure him.

"Just get this bastard." The man grumbled.

Sam had his nose already in the file but now he looked up. "The coroner seems to prefer the animal attack theory because of the way the bodies were ripped apart and the missing parts which were probably eaten. What makes you think it was a person?"

Officer Adams gave him a stern look before he answered. "As far as we can tell both victims were in their sleepwear and they were murdered in their beds. No forced entry." He tapped with his finger on that part of the report. "Does that sound like an animal to you, Agent?"

Dean bit back a smile, usually it was their job to point out things like this.

"Maybe somebody with some kind of pet." Sam mused aloud but Dean knew that in his head he was already making a list of supernatural nasties that could be responsible. A closed door didn't mean anything.

They left Officer Adam's office with a copy of the file and the promise to keep each other updated.

"Okay, where is my pig?" Dean asked when he swept the station with his eyes but found no sign of Mac.

"Over there." Sam pointed at an open office door from where voices and laughter carried over to them.

They found Mac in the middle of the room where he played fetch with a young officer. Five more people stood around them, watching and laughing at his antics.

"Excuse me." Dean pushed his way into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I need my dog back now."

There were quite some disappointed ohs and goodbye pats for Mac and at least three biscuits. And Dean had to promise to bring him again next time.

When they finally stepped outside Dean took a deep breath.

"Well, that was unexpected." He checked Mac over but the pig seemed to be okay. A little exhausted maybe and he was limping again, his leg was still healing, but all in all he looked very pleased with himself. He snuggled up in his nest at Sam's feet without complaint.

"Where to first?" Dean asked while Sam leaved through his notes.

"I'd say Melissa's place first." Sam answered. "Then her sister's. And Frank last." He closed his notepad. "Guess which motel Frank stayed at."


	11. Chapter 11

Dean brought the car to a halt in front of Melissa Nolan's house. He peered through the window at the nice little house in the nice little neighborhood. The perfect place for a nice little family. There was even a white picked fence surrounding the property. According to the file Melissa lived alone, though. No husband, no two point five kids. Not even a cat.

Dean's gaze wandered up to the sky. It was a nice day but not too warm.

"Think we can leave Mac in the car?" He asked, leaning down to give Mac an apologizing scratch behind the ear. "Taking him to a crime scene doesn't sound like a good idea." He explained when Sam gave him a confused expression.

"We don't want to contaminate something." Sam caught up with him. "Sorry, little guy. You have to wait here for a moment." He gave Mac a pat as well and then they almost fled the car before Mac could give them the little piggy eyes.

"We'll be back soon." Dean promised and was glad when Mac studied him through the glass of the window for a moment but then settled down for a nap. "Good boy."

The front door was secured with yellow police tape but this time they even had a key, thanks to Officer Adams, and were inside only a moment later. Sam closed the door behind them before they took out the EMF meters.

Without a word they made a quick sweep around the floor but they didn't find anything. There was still a glass and an open bottle of wine on the couch table and some leftover dishes in the sink. Everything for a single person. It looked like Melissa had a quiet evening alone before she went to bed.

The guest room didn't look like it had been used in a while and the bathroom was a little cluttered with toiletries as if Melissa hadn't bothered to put everything back in its place. She lived alone and didn't expect company.

At the door to the bedroom Dean took a deep breath. They were used to gore and blood, have seen their fair share of dead bodies, and some alive ones, but Dean had seen the pictures, what lay behind this door wasn't pretty.

He feared the day he wouldn't need a deep breath to face something like this. With the Mark on his arm that day might be not that far away anymore but today he still needed that moment to gather himself before he opened the door.

Letting the door swing open the brothers just stood in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of them.

"At least somebody with a mop has been through here." Dean said and stepped into the room. It was a neat little bedroom with creamy white furniture and some highlights in lavender, very tasteful.

The white floorboards were covered with thick fluffy rugs but near the bed there were strains of rusty red on them. In fact, around the bed the floor had been soaked with blood.

The bed itself was stripped bare but the mattress was still there, also soaked with blood.

With his EMF meter in hand Sam made his way around the room while Dean examined the bed closer. Their meters didn't pick up anything and as far as he could tell there was no sulfur around either. Dean lifted the mattress but there was nothing under it except for some dust bunnies.

"Why do they make teddy bears this big?" Sam interrupted his thoughts. When Dean looked up he found his brother frowning at a giant teddy bear sitting in a chair in the corner.

"At least it's not a giant clown, right Sammy?" Dean teased.

Sam just wrinkled his nose but then leaned in to sniff the teddy.

"Dude." Dean groaned. "Seriously?"

"It still smells like popcorn." Sam explained. "You think somebody won it for her at the fair?"

"A lover?" That would explain how somebody got into the house without breaking in. And it would explain why she'd been in bed wearing only her sleepwear. "I haven't seen anything indicating that she was seeing someone."

There was nothing supporting their theory in the bedroom, no clothes except for Melissa's lying around, so they went back downstairs. Even with fresh eyes they didn't find anything indicating that Melissa had company the evening she had been murdered.

"Family pictures." Sam pointed at a few framed pictures on a side table. Melissa with her parents in front of what looked like a hunting cabin, her sister with her family, several of her niece and nephew. If there had been somebody in Melissa's life, he hadn't made it to the family gallery yet.

"Let's see what her sister has to say." Dean suggested.

Back in the car Mac demanded all the cuddles from them for making him wait.

"Good boy." Dean gave him a biscuit and then handed cuddle duty over to Sam so that Dean had his hands free to drive them over to Melissa's sister. It was only a few streets over and they were there in under five minutes. Mac hadn't even settled down yet and was still head-butting Sam's shin every time he dared to stop with the petting for a second.

"This is not a crime scene." Dean observed casually.

"He has proven himself to be a good icebreaker." Sam added.

A minute later two FBI agents with a puppy on a leash walked up to the front door. A woman opened and even with her puffy eyes and red nose Dean recognized her from the pictures he'd seen at Melissa's place.

"Jennifer Darner?" He asked just to make sure. She nodded and they showed her their FBI badges. "Could we come in for a moment?"

"Of course." She stepped aside to let them in but then her eyes fell on Mac.

"I hope you don't mind." Dean had followed her gaze. "He can stay in the car if he bothers you."

"No, no, it's okay." She led them into the living room where two children were sitting over their homework. Curious eyes met the newcomers and for a second the boy's eyes lit up when he noticed Mac. He had to be around ten or twelve, his sister was a few years younger, but both kids wore expressions way older than their years. They had lost their aunt only two days ago.

"Go to your rooms and finish your homework there." Jennifer told them and without a word of protest they gathered up their books and left the room. In the doorway the boy hesitated and looked back at them. Dean wasn't sure what to read into this but then the kids were gone and he sat down with Jennifer to talk to her about her dead sister.

"When have you last seen Melissa?" Sam took the lead, traumatized family members always responded better to him than to Dean.

"Tuesday when I picked up Brian and Katie." She answered with a small hitch in her voice. "Melissa had taken them to the fair that day. I picked them up in the evening and the next morning when I wanted to bring them over again ..." She had to pause and blow her nose. They gave her a moment to gather herself. "When she didn't open I let myself in, I have a key, you know, for emergencies, she has one for our house as well, we look out for each other." Kneading the tissue in her hand she shook her head as if she tried to get the pictures out of her head.

She had been the one who'd found Melissa, Dean remembered.

Sam reached out and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said sincerely. He ducked down to look her in the eye and after a second she nodded her indication that they could continue with the interview.

"Was she seeing someone?" Sam asked the more awkward question first, just to get it over with.

"No." Jennifer shook her head.

"Is there anybody else who has a key?" Dean jumped in.

"Our parents but they don't live here."

"You say Melissa has been to the fair with your children that day." Sam changed the topic. "Did she mention something? Something weird? Like somebody following her?"

Jennifer shook her head again and reached for a fresh tissue. "Nothing. They had fun."

"I'd like to ask Brian and Katie a few questions if that's okay with you." Dean said. "Maybe they have noticed something."

Jennifer just nodded and showed him the way to the bedrooms.

Mac stayed at Dean's side and didn't make a sound. Dean was pretty sure that Jennifer had forgotten about the pig but he could come in handy when he was talking to the kids.

Sam and Jennifer stayed in the hallway from where she could keep an eye on her children but wasn't hovering in the background. Dean trusted his brother to keep her occupied so that the kids would speak more freely with him.

Katie told him in a flat voice that they had been to the fair. They had cotton candy and had been on a few rides. Aunt Mel had even won a teddy bear for Brian when he'd asked for one but then he didn't want it anymore. She hadn't noticed anything. While she was telling him that Katie sat at her desk, not bothering to look up from her homework.

Dean thanked her and went over to Brian. The boy was more animated than his sister and he was on his knees, reaching out to Mac the second they entered his room.

"Katie told me that you were to the fair with your aunt the other day." Dean prompted.

"Yeah, it was fun." Brian answered the question, more busy with Mac than anything else. However, something in his voice caught Dean's attention. He came down to a crouch next to the boy.

"Did something happen?" He asked. "Did you see something?"

Brian kept quiet for a long moment. He held Mac in his arms as if he needed something to ground himself and Dean knew that was Mac's specialty.

"He isn't really a puppy, isn't he?" Brian asked instead of an answer but in a low enough voice that his mother didn't hear him.

"No." Dean answered honestly and wondered what Brian saw in Mac. Some children had a clearer view on the things around them. Until they learned that all if it was just _imaginary_. "He is a magic pig." He leaned in closer. "But that's a secret. You can keep a secret, right?"

Brian nodded and looked at Mac with awe.

"I wanted that stupid teddy." He finally said. "I begged Aunt Mel to win it for me. She's good at shooting."

"So she won it for you." Dean thought about what Katie had told him. "Why didn't you want it anymore? Was there something about it? Something like with Mac?"

"No. It … it just smelled weird. I didn't like it." Now tears welled up in Brian's eyes. "She got it for me and then I didn't want to take it home. And then … she … she …" He couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He just clung to Mac who let himself get squished in the boy's arms.

A second later Jennifer was at Brian's side, assuring him that Aunt Mel knew how much he loved her. Quietly Dean picked up Mac's leash and left.

"Did the teddy smell weird to you?" Dean asked his brother when they were back in the car. What was his life that that question didn't even sound strange to him anymore?

Sam thought about it for a moment. "Just popcorn. Maybe like the chemicals they use for cheap toys like that." He shrugged.

Dean drove them back to their motel. They went to their own room first were they set Mac free before they went over to examine Frank's room.

The room was very much like their own. A generic motel room. The only exception was the blood soaked bed. And the giant teddy bear sitting in the corner.


	12. Chapter 12

"Could be coincidence." Dean said with his eyes fixed on the teddy bear and gun aimed between those shiny black unblinking eyes.

"Maybe." Sam agreed, gun trained at the giant teddy as well. It was never coincidence, not in their line of work.

For a second they just stood there, waiting for the teddy to move. Or to talk. To do anything. Which it didn't. Of course it didn't, it was a frigging teddy bear.

"Remember that other teddy bear?" Dean asked and inched a step closer. "The one from the wishing well?"

"That one didn't kill people." Sam reminded him. "He just liked to drink and smoke and complain a lot."

"I still have no clue on how to kill a stuffed animal." Dean admitted.

"I'm not sure if it's even alive." Sam rolled his shoulder to indicate for Dean to cover him and then tucked his gun in the back of his jeans. He didn't come back up empty handed, though. Demon killing knife in hand Sam stepped closer to the still unmoving plush animal until he was in striking distance. But so was the teddy. Dean kept his gun trained at the teddy's head, if it was vulnerable to bullets at all a head shot should do the trick.

Sam threw him one last glance over his shoulder, muttered "Here goes nothing." and poked the bear with the tip of the knife.

Nothing happened. Dean would feel better if that damn thing moved already.

Growing more confident Sam poked it harder, even tucked at its ear, and when still nothing happened he raised the knife to bury it in the teddy's head.

Before he could plunge it down into the teddy a high pitched squealing startled them. Dean almost shot out of reflex before he realized that the sound came from behind him. Startled he spun around but he only saw something running across the room out of the corner of his eye.

"Mac?" He recognized the familiar shape of the pig who completely ignored him and ran towards Sam. "What is he doing here?"

For a second they just stared at the little guy who ran past Sam and went straight for the teddy. Mac came to a skittered halt only inches from the bear, his snout almost buried in the thick fur. He sniffed and sneezed before he dismissed the teddy with an angry huff and turned to face Sam.

The teddy had failed to use the moment of distraction to attack them so Dean was fairly sure that the stuffed animal wasn't dangerous, at least at the moment, but he adjusted his grip on the gun just in case while he tried to figure out how Mac got here in the first place, they had locked the door, and what he was doing here.

The pig stood firmly between Sam and the bear.

"I think he thinks it is dangerous." Sam said and took a step back. Mac followed suit, head ducked deep while he tried to herd Sam even farther from the teddy.

The noises coming from the pig were almost a whine and his flanks were trembling but he didn't budge. It was clear that the little guy was frightened but at the same time it looked like he tried to protect them from the teddy.

"Okay, retreat." Dean decided and stepped backwards in the direction of the door. No way was he turning his back in the bear. Not if it terrified Mac like this.

The pig threw him an almost grateful glance but then his attention was on Sam again who now backed off as well.

Sam scooped up Mac and together they hurried to get out of the room.

Back in their own motel room Sam set Mac on the floor and the pig started to run circles around him, rubbing his head at Sam's shins.

"What was that?" Dean ran a hand down his face, the tension slowly melting away. His hand was trembling but that wasn't because of his nerves, he knew that. There was an itch in the back of his mind, the Mark, that told him he should go back and rip that thing apart. Burn it, shoot it, make it bleed. He ignored it.

"An evil teddy." Sam sat down at the table, one hand dangling and Mac didn't waste time to butt his head into his palm. Usually Mac didn't show that much affection towards Sam. If Dean didn't know better the pig was trying to get his scent all over him. Dean swallowed against the ping of jealousness in his chest. Over the last few days he'd gotten used to having Mac around whenever the Mark bothered him too much. He'd never admit it but the pig helped him to calm down.

"We need to get rid of that thing. And the one at Melissa's." Dean sat down as well. "And we need to find out where they came from."

How many were out there, that was the question. Just these two or was there a teddy bear invasion going on?

"These are sealed crime scenes, we have time to find out more about this before we try anything." Sam mused aloud and gave in to Mac's begging and picked the pig up without really noticing. "I'd say we have a look at the fair first, find out if others have won a giant bear as well." Find out if there were other possible victims out there. Neither of them said it out loud because they both knew that it would be almost impossible to find somebody in the crowd even if he was carrying a big teddy bear.

"Sounds like a plan." Dean agreed. "Because I've no idea how to get rid of them. I don't want a pissed off burning teddy on my ass."

Sam just hummed to that, too busy scratching Mac behind the ear. The pig had settled in his lap but not without squirming around for a moment, sticking his snout between the different layers of Sam's shirts and rubbing his whole body against Sam's stomach and chest.

Like a dog who had to turn around three times before laying down, Dean thought with amusement but couldn't shake off the feeling that this was about scent. That Mac was covering Sam in his scent.

Brian had said that the teddy smelled weird and both times it had been Sam who got close to the teddy. Sam had even touched it this time.

Dean felt like he was on to something here but he didn't know how to proceed.

"Okay, fair it is." Dean clapped his hands. "When was the last time we went to a fair?"

"Never." Sam said a little wistful but then his expression hardened. "Expect for that one time with the killer clown."

Dean remembered that one. He would never admit it, especially not to Sam, but that clown had been creepy.

"We should visit one." Dean nodded to himself. "When we're done here we'll find one without killer clowns or killer teddy bears or anything killer at all. Just fun rides and cotton candy until we puke."

"We should do that." Sam gave him a smile but they both knew they would never come around to actually do something like that. Something else would come up and they would put it off. Like always. Sometimes it felt like they were putting off their whole life. Like some day they would just live but that day never came.

Dean sighed and pushed those thoughts away. His eyes fell on Mac, happily dozing under Sam's skillful hand. Traitor. But it was quite possible that the pig had saved Sam from something very unpleasant like dismembering today so Dean could forgive him. This time.

"How did he even get over there?" He wondered. "I locked the door and the other one was closed."

Sam thought about that for a moment. "Yesterday he altered reality to play your favorite porn on the laptop. I doubt a closed door is a problem for him."

Sam had a point, Dean had to give him that.

"But that is a problem for us." He realized. He didn't want to bring Mac to the fair. There were too many people around, it would be too easy for Mac to get trampled down or to get lost in the crowd. And if there really was something dangerous going on there, Dean didn't want to get distracted by worrying about Mac.

Sam just gave him a curious look.

"If a locked door is no problem for him how can we make sure that he stays in the room or the car?" Dean explained patiently. His brother was a smart guy but sometimes he could be really slow.

"Oh." Sam finally made in realization. He looked down at Mac who had his eyes closed and would have purred if he was a cat.

In the end Dean decided to just talk to Mac. And to bribe him, that had worked before.

"Sam and I are going out for a bit." Dean told the pig and only felt a little bit stupid for that. He knew that Mac understood far more than anybody would give him credit for but when he looked at the button eyes and the twitching snout he couldn't believe that he was talking in earnest to a pig.

"We'll be back soon." He continued. "You stay here." He emphasized that part by patting the bed next to Mac. He had the faint hope that Mac would just sleep through this. "You stay here and wait for us. You do that and you get a whole can of dog food for dinner."

If there was any doubt if the pig understood him, it was gone when Mac made a happy sound and squirmed his way into Dean's side at the mention of dog food.

Mac was a sucker for biscuits and other treats but dog food was his weakness. And for something like this Dean figured he better got out the big guns.

"A whole can." Dean repeated and gave him one last pat on the head. "Just stay here and wait for us."

Mac jerked his head which almost counted as a nod and sat back on his haunches. Dean wouldn't be surprised to find him in the exact same position when they came back. At least he hoped so.

Before anybody could change his mind, the brothers left.

"Think this is going to work?" Sam asked with one last glance at the closed door.

"He has get used to stay lone for a while." Dean answered and stuffed his fists in this pockets. He didn't like leaving Mac like this but there was no other way. "Let's go."

It was late in the afternoon and most people were done with work for the day. Which meant they had time for some fun.

The brothers left the car at the motel, they wouldn't find a place to leave it closer to the fair anyway, and mingled with the crowd moving towards the fairground.

There was excitement in the air, kids laughing and people shouting. The music carried over to them along with the typical smell of popcorn, cotton candy and saw dust. Usually Dean would let himself enjoy the whole atmosphere but now he couldn't help but wonder how he would evacuate the place if necessary. He couldn't, he knew that, and it was highly unlikely that he would need to, he knew that too, but still.

A mean little voice in the back of his mind wondered what danger he was thinking of. Giant teddy bears or something darker?

Dean tucked the sleeve more firmly over the Mark, he had a job to do.


	13. Chapter 13

For a small town fair this one was huge. The closer to the fairground they got, the thicker the crowd became. By the time they reached the first attractions in the outskirts of the whole thing they could barely move. It was a pushing and a shoving and Dean was just glad that Sam had turned out so big. If Sam had stopped growing at a normal size Dean would have lost him within seconds, but this way he just followed the floppy mop of hair that bobbed over all the others like a buoy on the ocean.

Dean took in everything. The cotton candy and the candy apples and everything else with candy in its name. The games and rides and he really hoped they would have time for that roller coaster, that thing looked awesome.

He noticed many places where one could win a stuffed animal but so far no giant teddy bears. He did see a giant stuffed unicorn and he just knew it was up to something.

"Sam, haven't you seen those eyes?" Dean protested when Sam dragged him away from that stand. "I'm telling you, that bitch is up to something."

"You can get your unicorn when we've dealt with the teddy bears." Sam promised and actually tried to sooth him with ice cream like he was some five-year-old.

"That thing is evil." Dean insisted but took the ice cream. "If it's coming for you tonight, I'm not going to rescue you."

They bantered over the ice cream and it felt good. If Dean was honest, he was having fun. Which came as a surprise. This many people around him, the noises, the lights, even the smell, he had expected it would bother him more. But so far the only urges he felt were for that roller coaster and for whatever food they were passing at the moment.

_Odd_, Dean thought but didn't want to dwell on it for too long. Instead he just enjoyed the moment.

They had been searching the place for over an hour, and had hardly covered a quarter of the place, but hadn't found what they were looking for.

They should have asked the kids where their aunt had won the teddy bear but Dean doubted a description would help them out. Besides, they hadn't know about the bears when they had talked to the kids.

So far Dean hadn't seen anybody walking around with a giant bear either and that was good, right?

On the other hand, if he saw somebody with a teddy he could just asked where he got that damn thing. And they would know who the next victim would be.

Who was he kidding? In this crowd there could be a whole teddy bear parade without him noticing. Dean sighed.

"Time for a break." He decided and grabbed Sam's sleeve before his brother could disappear on him. Sam gave him a questioning look but Dean just pointed at the next place that sold food.

"Funnel cake." Dean had to raise his voice over the sounds from the near by bumper cars.

Sam didn't look happy about the break and probably said something along the line that they just had ice cream but Dean was already on his way to the stand.

"This is good." Sam admitted, licking his fingers. Dean just grinned at him, his own mouth stuffed with sweet, greasy goodness.

They ate in silence for a moment, both of them watching the crowd.

"We should split up." Sam said around a mouth full of funnel cake. It was too muffled and too low for Dean to actually understand the words but he didn't need to. Sam had suggested it more often than once over the last hour.

Usually he would be right, cover more ground and all that, but finding each other again in this crowd was next to impossible. Getting to the other one in time would be the next problem and Dean highly doubted that he would even understand Sam's SOS call with all this background noises.

_And let's face it, Sam would be the one getting in trouble,_ Dean just knew it.

So Dean just pretended he hadn't heard Sam's suggestion and why was he talking with his mouth full anyway? Hypocrite.

Still grinning Dean finished his cake and dusted off his hands. With a tilt of his head he asked Sam if he was ready and then they jumped back into the stream of people passing by.

It wasn't easy to search the place and keep an eye on his brother at the same time and Dean almost wanted to grab his hand so the kid wouldn't get lost.

"Should have borrowed Mac's harness for him." Dean muttered while he parkoured his way around a family of four to keep up with Sam.

They had their eyes on shooting games, they knew that at least Melissa had won her teddy bear there, but those seemed to be popular around here. But finally, it had to be the sixth or seventh they had checked out, Dean spotted one giant teddy bear in the middle of smaller stuffed animals and cheap plastic toys. Almost innocently it sat there, waiting for somebody to take it home.

As far as Dean could tell, this was the only bear this size. Which either meant that there were only three or that they were too late.

However, with his target in clear view, the Mark started to itch again. So far it hadn't bothered him much but the sight of the bear and the toy rifles in front of it … Dean shifted so he felt the weight of his own gun in his waistband. Just to make sure it was there.

"Keep an eye on that thing." Sam said close to his ear. "I'll talk to the owner."

Dean nodded in agreement. He was pretty sure that he had himself under control but someone had to keep an eye on this and Sam was the better talker anyway. So they both pretend that this had nothing to do with the Mark.

Dean watched Sam leave and then just stood there, fingers flexing and anticipation building. He let out a sigh and wished he had taken Mac with him.

Just to keep his hands busy, and to not stand around like a creeper, Dean turned to the next stand which turned out to sell cotton candy. And not just ordinary cotton candy. They had a list of flavors that read more like a menu of a cocktail bar than anything else. Caipirinha. Mojito. Pina Colada. Dean scanned the list, more amused than interested, but then his eyes fell on "Whiskey". They had whiskey flavored cotton candy!

He helped himself to the biggest size they had and then found a spot at the side where he could eat his candy without standing in the way and from where he had a good view on the shooting game.

Dean took his first bite and could only hope that his pornographic moan was lost in the noise around him.

The shooting stand was manned by two people so while Sam was talking to one of them in the back, the other one kept the games running. And the games were running. The five toy rifles never lay on the counter for longer than a few seconds.

The first rush of adrenalin had died down, with the help of some awesome cotton candy, and now Dean was in observing hunter mood, calm and calculating, the Mark a faint humming in the back of his mind.

Eating his candy Dean watched.

This was a game, not a shooting range. The accuracy of the rifles were as crappy as expected. #2 was pulling to the left and with #3 it seemed to be a complete game of chance where the bullet went. #1, #4 and #5 seemed okay but if he had to choose, Dean would settle for #4.

He had just finished his candy and was considering another one, just a small one because, c'mon, whiskey flavored, when his phone buzzed.

A text from Sam: _3TB. Donated. Condition: Highest score to win._

Dean stared at the text for a moment, wondering if he read this right. Only three bears was good news. But the rest? Did you have to actually win the teddy to trigger its evilness? That might explain why the guys running the stand were still alive. If they weren't the ones behind all this.

_Donor?_ He texted back, knowing that Sam was already asking the right questions.

_Gonna get the teddy now._ Dean sent out another text before he put the phone away.

"So, you're the last one." Dean said under his breath, already on his way to the game. He waited a moment until #4 was free and then stepped in.

"What do I have to do to get the big one?" He put some money on the counter.

"Be the best." The man said with an honest smile, pointing at a list with points and prizes.

Dean had to complete the most difficult range with perfect score to win the teddy. That explained why the third one was still here. You had to be really good at shooting and you had to be lucky with the rifles. Dean was both.

"For you, darling." Dean tried to pass the teddy on to Sam when they met a few minutes later. Sam hurried to raise his hands in a _stay away from me_ manner. Looked like Dean was stuck with creepy Mr. Teddy.

So far the teddy hadn't done anything creepy except for being big and fluffy but Dean really didn't feel comfortable with hugging this thing.

They took the fasted route back to the motel.

Sam waited until they were out of the thickest crowd before he started to fill Dean in.

"I don't think these guys are responsible for this." He started. That much Dean had figured out from the text and the fact that they were just leaving without breaking some skulls first. He made an impatient gesture with his hand and then had to re-adjust his grip on the damn teddy. Great.

Maybe he should just drag it along in a choke-hold.

"Before the fair opened a woman approached them." Sam continued, deliberately not helping him with the teddy which probably was for the better. Remembering Mac's reaction to just poking one of these things, Dean didn't want to risk both of them becoming targets. It was enough if he played bait.

"She donated the teddies to them under the condition to give them out only to somebody who's _worthy_." He even made air marks.

"Anything about this woman?"

"A vague description." Sam shook his head. "Could be anybody. She didn't give a name and Chris, the guy I spoke to, didn't know her and hasn't seen her since."

"So we're looking for the mysterious woman now? Awesome." Dean grit his teeth and upped his step when their motel came into view. The sooner he could let go of this teddy the better. And not only because of the whole murderous teddy thing. People were staring at him. Two guys and one teddy bear, he couldn't even blame anybody for jumping to conclusions this time.

Sam held the door open for him and Dean actually managed to get far enough into the room to notice that Mac was sitting on his bed just like they had left him.

Then there was a high pitched squealing and the next second Dean was tackled to the floor. Next thing he knew was that he was in a tug of war for the teddy with Mac.

For a pig his size Mac was strong. He had his little teeth buried in one of the teddy's legs, determined to get the bear away from Dean.

Sitting on the floor and not really sure how he got there, Dean held on to the teddy's head more out of reflex than anything else.

With a tearing sound something suddenly gave and Dean fell on his back, the teddy's head still clutched at his chest. Mac dragged the rest of the bear away from him.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam crouched next to him, more amused than worried.

"Super."

Sam's eyes traveled down to the fluffy head on his chest. With a frown he plucked something out of the torn fabric. A small branch?

"Is that?" Sam took a sniff and his eyes went wide.

"What is it?" Dean propped himself up on one elbow to have a better look, not caring when Mac dragged the head away as well. The leaves looked familiar.

"Meadowsweet." They said in unison.


	14. Chapter 14

Meadowsweet. It all clicked into place now.

Dean was tempted to just flop back and stay on the floor for the time being. Pagan gods were some evil sons of bitches. But killing them was hands on. A smile crept on his lips.

Dean remembered those pagan gods who had snacked on humans and called it a sacrifice. Back then the meadowsweet had been hidden in Christmas wreaths and by hanging them up innocent people had marked themselves as targets.

Now you had to win a giant teddy bear stuffed with weed to get that honor but basically it was the same old shtick.

"But teddy bears?" Dean shook his head. Still propped up on one elbow he watched Mac storing the pieces of said teddy bear in the corner. The teddy's head was easily tree htimes the size of the pig dragging it around. "Seriously?"

"You have to admit, it is creative." Sam held out a hand to help him up but before Dean could grab it, Mac was back. He knocked his head into Dean's chest, toppling him over. Lying on his back Dean blinked in surprise at the twitching snout only inches from his face while four tiny feet dug into his ribs.

If a pig could look angry, it was this expression. Mac made angry little noises as well and Dean had no doubt that he was scolded.

"You don't like meadowsweet, don't you?" Dean lifted his hand to scratch Mac behind the ear and the pig used the chance to rub his head and half his body against Dean's hand and forearm.

But he didn't seem satisfied with that. With a huff he dropped down and started rolling and twisting on Dean's chest, legs kicking in the air. Dean had to cage him with his arms or Mac would have rolled right off him.

"I'm not a puddle of mud you can wallow in." He muttered and threw a helpless glance at his brother. "What is he doing?"

"I think he doesn't like how you smell." Sam offered. At least he tried to keep the grin tucking at this lips off his face.

Right, Mac had done the same with Sam after he'd only poked one of the bears. Dean had basically cuddled with the damn thing, no wonder Mac went nuts with the scenting.

Lying on his back with his arms awkwardly raised to prevent the pig from hurting himself by falling off, Dean let Mac rub himself all over him. Because that was what this was about, overlaying the smell of meadowsweet with his own pig scent. Dean wasn't sure if he prefered smelling like a pig over the sweet aroma of meadowsweet but Mac was determined so he let him do whatever he wanted.

At least Sam was smart enough to not poke the teddy while Dean and Mac were busy. Mac would probably kill the stupid human himself if Sam got near that thing with a ten foot pole.

Instead Sam did the smart thing and pulled out his laptop to start with the research.

They knew now that there was at least one pagan god behind this but they still had no idea who it might be. Dean doubted that they had met this mysterious woman so it would probably come down to playing bait and let her come to them. He had won the teddy and had deemed himself worthy so that bitch should show up tonight.

He only hoped that the teddy was smelly enough on its own because he highly doubted that Mac would let him touch that thing again.

After a few minutes of Mac using him as his personal snuggle pillow, by now Dean had pig snot on his throat and Sam some pictures on his phone Dean needed to delete later, Mac came to a stand on his chest again. The huff he let out could only be described as frustrated.

"You done?" Dean lifted his head to look him in the eye. The floor wasn't exactly comfortable but if it made Mac happy to scent him like this, he would lie here for the next hour. Spared him the research if nothing else.

Mac didn't answer.

Instead he peed on Dean.

It took Dean a second to realize what the warm liquid splashing on his chest was. It ran down his sides, leaving him in a puddle.

"Shit." With one arm he swept Mac off his chest, who tumbled to the floor with a squeak of protest, and then hurried to get to his feet. The change of position caused the pee to change direction too, it was now running down his belly, soaking the waistband of his jeans.

How much pee could come out of a pig this small?

Cursing he tried to brush it off with his hands which only helped to spread it farther and now he had pig pee on his hands. Awesome.

Sam was screaming with laughter.

Could someone suffocate from laughing too hard? Dean had the feeling he was about to find out.

"Don't wet yourself over there." Dean glared at Sam but it only made him laugh harder. The way Sam crossed his ankles it was a real possibility that he would pee himself. "I need a shower."

With as much dignity as he could muster Dean walked stiffly over to the bathroom. He glared at Mac who looked very pleased with himself but stood firmly between him and the mauled teddy in the corner.

The last thing he heard before he closed the bathroom door was a loud thud. Dean hoped that Sam had at least broken his tail bone falling off the chair, would serve him right, but the way he was laughing even harder, no such luck.

Dean peeled himself out of the soiled clothes and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. At least the water was hot and the pressure just awesome.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly to get rid of the last traces of pig body fluids but also to wash off what was left of the meadowsweet smell.

When he was done he left his clothes in the tub to soak and then headed out with only a towel around his waist to find something fresh to wear.

Sam was back at working on his laptop but there was a fresh set of clothes waiting for him on his bed. With a pig sitting on top of it.

"Sorry, he insisted." Sam didn't even look up from the screen but the way his shoulders were shaking it wasn't because he was engrossed in what he was reading. "So far he hasn't peed on it."

Sam wanted to say more but he had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from bursting out in laughter again. Dean was highly tempted to ask him if he knew somebody named Biggus Dickus but he really didn't want a new round of laughter with him as the bottom of the joke.

He just wanted his dignity back which meant clothes.

"Hope you didn't fart on this." Dean muttered to Mac who at least stepped off his clothes when he reached for them. Behind him Sam lost it again.

"Anything on our pagan god?" Dean asked when he returned from the bathroom fully clothed, determined to never mention the pee incident ever again. By now Sam seemed to have himself under control again.

"Not much." Sam had to admit. "There are hundreds of pagan gods we know of and millions that were lost over time. Remember those Christmas couple we ran into?"

Dean nodded, he would never forget that Christmas.

"They said that they had been worshiped by millions and had hundreds of sacrifices every year. But history has completely forgotten them." Sam sounded almost sad. "I doubt we'll find more of our goddess than that she likes marksmen for dinner."

"We don't need to know her name. We know where she's going to be tonight and we know how to kill her." Dean grabbed his keys and jiggled them. "And we have some evergreen stakes in the trunk."

Sam chewed his bottom lip as if he wasn't convinced but Dean just turned his back on him and went to get the stakes. Sam wasn't happy if he didn't know what their monster had for breakfast or what its favorite color was. He needed to know, to understand.

For Dean it had always been enough to know how to kill it.

So far all the victims had been attacked in bed at night so Sam had more than enough time to hunt down more information on the internet while Dean made sure that the stakes were actually pointy enough to be of use later.

The headless teddy lay in the corner but every time one of them came even close to that thing, Mac was standing guard over it.

While the humans were occupied with their individual tasks, Mac kept himself busy with scent marking them. There was no other word for what he was doing. He rubbed himself at their shins and most of the time he was in somebody's lap, getting patted and scratched, and for a while he slept on the bed with his body firmly pressed against Dean's lower back.

Dean didn't mention it, but having Mac close like this did help him to stay focused. With the anticipation of the hunt the Mark was buzzing louder under his skin but Mac seemed to sooth that with just being there.

They ordered Chinese for dinner and when somebody knocked at their door not much later, Dean expected to find a very quick delivery boy outside. Instead there stood a young boy on the porch.

"Brian?" Dean recognized the kid. Melissa's nephew who had seen through Mac's glamor. "Did something happen?"

For a second the boy fiddled with the hem of his shirt and he looked like he was seconds from bolting.

"Nothing happened." He mumbled, gaze firmly on the tips of his shoes.

"Okay." Dean said, waiting for the boy to say something. "Do you want to come in?" He stepped aside to let the boy in.

The patter of tiny feet came up behind him and a second later Mac was in the boy's arms.

Dean exchanged a glance with his brother but the way Sam shrugged, this was Dean's job. He had always been better with kids.

"He really is a pig." Brian said in awe.

"What did he look like earlier?" Dean asked. To him and Sam Mac always looked like a pig so it was interesting to hear what Brain had seen. It could be useful in the future. And it gave Brian something to talk about.

"Like a puppy." Brain scratched Mac behind the ear who closed his eyes in pleasure. "But there was something underneath. Like two pictures on top of each other." He shrugged as if he wasn't sure how to put it in words.

"And now?" Dean prompted.

"Now he's just a pig." Brian hugged Mac closer.

Dean offered him the second chair at the table which the boy took with a shy glance at Sam also sitting at the table.

"How did you even find us?" Dean asked.

"Luck." Brian shrugged. "The school bus comes along this street and I saw your car in the parking lot."

Luck. Dean threw a glance at Mac who didn't even bother to open his eyes.

"Okay." Dean sat down on the end of his bed and clasped his hands together to keep them still. "Why are you here?"

"I know this sounds stupid, nobody believes me anyway, but you have Mac so maybe you will believe me." Brian's hand stilled but for once Mac didn't protest. "Sometimes … I have those dreams." He broke off, red creeping into his cheeks.

"And sometimes they come true?" Sam offered gently. Brian nodded without meeting his eye.

"Brian." Dean kept his voice low while suddenly all he wanted to do was to shake answers out of the boy. He rubbed his hand over his face and a wave of Mac's scent hit his nose. Instantly the urge was gone. "What was your dream about?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N** Sorry for the delay, real life got a bit hectic yesterday.

* * *

"What was your dream about?" Dean asked but Brian didn't answer for a long second. He just petted Mac's back with long, even strokes without looking anybody in the eye.

"Usually it's just small stuff, you know?" He finally spoke. His tone alone broke Dean's heart and whatever was left of the dark thoughts the Mark had been whispering to him was gone. Dean took another deep breath, inhaling Mac's scent still lingering on his skin and in his clothes.

"Like what?" Dean asked in a gentle tone, sensing that the kid was struggling to tell them about his dream. This was probably the first time somebody actually listened to him.

"Like when Mom's car broke and she had to borrow Aunt Mel's. I dreamed that Mom was driving her car." He said, voice cracking over his aunt's name. "Or that one time when we got hit by a thunderstorm on our way to Grandma. I told Mom we should get an early start or the road would be under water."

"She didn't believe you?" Dean offered.

"Of course not. Not even when we were stuck for four hours because all the roads were flooded." Brian let out a snort. "She's still proud of me for handling it so well when she told us about the divorce, though. Not that we didn't see it coming but Katie was totally blindsided when it actually happened. I knew what was coming when I came into the kitchen that morning and saw Mom in her blue dress, holding the spatula and a plate with pancakes. It was exactly like in my dream."

He paused again, shoulders tense and his hold on Mac almost too strong to be comfortable for the pig. However, Mac didn't squirm his way out of his grip. If anything he pressed himself closer to the boy who obviously was waiting for the brothers to tell him that he was imagining things.

Dean got it. Brian had told them about other stuff which had come true so they would believe him when he told them about the dream he had last night. But he didn't think that they would believe him and was bracing himself for the rejection.

"We believe you." Dean said and wasn't surprised when Sam said the exact same words with him. Sometimes they were still in sync.

Now Brian looked up. His gaze fell on Sam first before he looked over to meet Dean's eyes.

"You do?" His voice was trembling and his eyes were too shiny but there was something in his expression like he couldn't quite believe what was happening. As if he wondered if he was still dreaming.

"You're petting our magic pig." Dean pointed out.

"We have met psychics before." Sam added and then explained: "People who know things before they happen. Some have dreams like you, others can read minds or just know things when they see somebody. You know, I used to have visions for a while."

Brian stared at Sam as if he'd grown a second head.

"You have visions?"

"Not anymore."

"How did you get rid of them?" Brian asked, almost throwing Mac off his lap when he scooted to the edge of his chair in his attempt to get closer to Sam.

"My visions were different from what you have." Sam cleared his throat. Dean knew how hard it was for Sam to admit this. Azazel and his boy-king plan were long gone but it was still something they didn't really talk about. It had been the beginning of demon blood and Hell and Ruby and all that which had spiraled them right into the apocalypse. Sometimes Dean felt like they were still spinning.

"I think you're a real psychic." Dean jumped in to give Sam some space. "Don't know how strong you are but you're the real deal."

Brian's face fell and he was back to hugging Mac as if the pig was his lifeline.

"We can get you in contact with other psychics." Sam offered with a sympathetic smile. "People who know what you're going through. People who can help you." Sam reached over the table and gave Brian's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're not alone. And you're not a freak."

Dean had to look the other way. He knew how desperate Sam had been to hear those words when he'd been a kid. And how Dean had failed him with that.

His eyes fell on the dismembered teddy in the corner. Unblinking eyes stared back at him and there were branches of meadowsweet sticking out of the ripped open teddy.

"Thank you." Brian whispered, voice thick with unshed tears.

For a moment they fell silent. Brian still hadn't told them about his dream but Dean knew that pushing the boy would just make him clam up. The last few minutes had been intense for Brian, he got that, and if he needed a minute to process all this, then they had a goddamn minute. No matter how much he was itching to just shake the answer out of him.

He was in hunter mood now and that never went well with the Mark.

Dean grabbed his right forearm with his other hand to keep it still but it took him a moment to realize that he was tracing the lines of the Mark with his thumb. Through the layers of fabric he couldn't see or even feel it but he knew that he was following the exact lines. He forced his hand down to clasp his wrist.

When he looked up again, he met Mac's eyes who was watching him with an intensity no pig should have. If Brain didn't need something to hold on to right now, Mac would be back in Dean's lap in a heartbeat, Dean knew that.

However, knowing that Dean could breathe easier.

"Last night I had a really bad dream." Brain finally spoke. "There was so much blood. And this man … I think he was dead." His voice broke and he sniffed.

Dean couldn't even start to imagine what it was like to see such horrible things, Brian was just a kid for Christ's sake. How desperate he had to be to come here to tell two strangers about his dream.

"This man …" Sam shifted in his seat. "Was it me or Dean?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I've seen him before. At the fair. When Aunt Mel won that teddy bear for me."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked while they all pretended that there wasn't a giant teddy bear lying in the corner.

Dean couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Brian had taken the teddy. If he had slept with that thing in his room. He didn't want to think about it.

"I wasn't." Brain said, mechanically petting the pig in his lap. "So after school I went to the fair to make sure. It's him. The man from the shooting game."

While Sam started to pick the dream apart – Had it been night or day? What about the surroundings? Did you hear something? – Dean zoned out. He let Sam handle the how and when while he focused on the why.

As far as they knew the guys running the game were only unknowing tools for the pagan goddess. Just a way to sort out her victims. They didn't know about any of this.

They didn't win a teddy, they hadn't proven themselves worthy. They should be safe.

So why would she go after one of them? Dean was next on her list, why would she skip him? Or would she come after him first and go for the other man afterwards? Tying up loose ends before leaving town? Maybe. There had been three teddies, three sacrifices. After Dean she would be done here.

So if she came for Dean first and Brian's dream would come true as well, did this mean that she would succeed with killing him? Dean wasn't sure how he felt about that thought. Dying would solve a few things. If he managed to stay dead and not come back a demon again.

A nudge at his shin drew him back the the here and now. Mac sat at his feet, looking up at him with those intense eyes as if he knew exactly what was going on in his head. And as if he didn't like it one bit.

"Haven't you been petted enough for today?" Dean asked but picked the pig up who immediately made himself comfortable in his lap. "Apparently not."

However, the thoughts about his own death retreated to the back of his mind and he could focus on Sam and Brian again.

Sam was just offering the boy a ride home. It was late and he shouldn't walk home alone.

"Can you save that man?" Brian asked.

"We'll try." Was Sam's rather vague answer.

"Is it possible to save him?" Brain was back to fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Sometimes it is possible to change the outcome." Sam answered honestly. He didn't point out that sometimes it wasn't.

Brian bit his bottom lip, something clearly on his mind.

"Brian?" Dean asked when he saw the boy close to tears.

"Why didn't I dream about Aunt Mel?" The words came out with a sob. "Why couldn't I save her? Why do I have these dreams if …" Hugging his own middle Brian collapsed, almost hitting his head on the table, dry sobs shaking through his body.

Dean was at his side in a heartbeat and with a wounded cry the boy throw himself at him. Awkwardly hugging him with one arm while holding Mac with the other, the pig was squished between their bodies but didn't seem to mind, Dean just let him cry for a moment.

Later they drove Brian home. During the whole ride he sat silently in the backseat with Mac's head in his lap.

When Dean parked the car in front of the house, Sam turned around in his seat.

"You're not alone, Brian." He said once again and promised that they would come back and that he hadn't forgotten about helping him with the psychic thing.

The boy gave him a shy smile before he left the car.

"You think he's going to be alright?" Dean asked when he watched the front door closing behind Brian.

"He will be better if we save this guy."

Dean drove them over to the fairground. It was late and everything had quieted down so they didn't have any trouble to park their car. No prying eyes when they armed themselves with wooden stakes either.

"Mac, you stay in the car." Dean ordered. The pig didn't look pleased but didn't try to wiggle his way out of the car. Satisfied Dean locked the door and then turned to the nightly fairground.

There were only a few drunken visitors left who tried to find their way back home. Most stalls had already shut down and the lights were out.

"Brian said that it's going to happen in a trailer." Sam said in a low voice, leading the way.

"How are we going to find the right trailer?" Dean asked back in the same low voice. There was no need to whisper but they did it anyway. It seemed appropriate. The dark fair at night was kinda spooky.

They stepped into the shadow of the Ferris wheel when suddenly something came at them from the side.

Dean had a wooden stake out without thinking and was ready to strike when the thing stepped out of the shadow.

"Mac." He hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Mac didn't answer, of course not, he simply walked over to Dean and looked up at him like he wanted to say "Are we going to do this or not?".

Next to him Sam let out a low chuckle.

"If I trip over you, we're having bacon tomorrow." Dean muttered but knew that there was no point in arguing. Mac had just escaped a locked car and had found them in this maze of rides and games, if he wanted to be here, he would be here.

And if he was honest, Dean felt better with the pig at his side.


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning:** This chapter turned out more gory than expected. It's similar to what we saw in the basement in "A Very Supernatural Christmas".

* * *

Luck was on their side once again.

When they reached the small trailer park at the side of the fairground most trailers were dark and there was nobody around who could wonder what they were doing here. After working a long day on the fair most people were asleep by now.

However, there was light behind the small windows of one of the trailers at the outskirts of the place, right where the brothers came in from the fairground, and when they came closer, Dean caught a glimpse of a familiar face.

"That's him." Dean pointed at the window. The man was out of sight a second later but Dean breathed easier, they weren't too late.

"What are we going to do now?" Sam hissed, scanning the area.

"Keeping an eye on him." Dean answered in the same low voice, his eyes darting over the shadows between the trailers. There were too many places to hide, their pagan goddess could strike from everywhere.

Without a word he and Sam slipped back into the shadows. Leaning against the sides of one of the closed stands they had the trailer in clear view without being seen themselves.

For some reason Dean had expected a in the nick of time rescue or, more likely, being too late and finding the dude dead. His fists were clenched at his sides and he felt the muscles in his jaw working but he was unable to relax. He had been itching for a fight and now he was stuck with the anticipation with no way to release it.

Suddenly there was a firm pressure against his leg. Mac didn't make a sound, he probably knew that they were on a hunt, but he pressed himself against Dean, grounding him.

Dean risked a quick glance down to the pig who stepped on the tip of his boot to meet his eyes. In the dark Dean could only make out a faint glint but he was sure that he saw understanding in them. For an eery second they just looked at each other before Mac broke the eye contact and turned to the trailer in front of them.

Dean really hoped that Sam would never find out how much Mac grounded him by just being there, how much he depended on the pig to keep the Mark in control. Seconds ago he had been ready to just storm in, guns blazing, but now he was content with watching the perimeter, waiting for their enemy to make the first move.

It was entirely possible that the pagan goddess was at their motel room right now. They had left the teddy there after all and the meadowsweet was like a beacon for these bitches.

Thinking about it, Brian's vision made sense now. She was at the motel to get Dean but couldn't find him. But she would see the dismembered teddy and maybe some other clues, pointing at them as hunters. Maybe Mac's scent ticked her off or whatever. Point was, she would know that she was busted.

Before she left town, she would come for the only persons who had seen her and could identify her. The guys who had handed out the teddies.

"Did Brian say something about the second guy?" Dean asked. "What was his name? Chris?"

"No." Sam shook his head. "But his vision was very limited. He only saw the one man lying in his own blood in the corner of the trailer."

Which left what was going to happen in the rest of the trailer to speculation.

They didn't even know if Chris stayed with his partner or if he had his own trailer. So far Dean had only seen the other guy but that didn't mean anything.

Dean kept an eye on the trailer where he could see the man moving around, mostly just shadows but from time to time he caught a glimpse of his head. It was good for keeping an eye on him but inwardly he winced, he was an easy target like this.

He wished they could just walk up to the trailer and ask the guy if they could come in to protect him from the evil pagan goddess. Sadly, it never was that easy.

They waited in silence for a few minutes.

The movement in the trailer never stopped and the lights stayed on. Dean started to wonder if the guy was suffering from insomnia. Everything else lay in complete darkness by now.

Mac was the first to get impatient. He started to nudge Dean's calf with his snout, urging him to move in the direction of the trailer.

"Shh, Mac." Dean tried to calm the pig down. "We have to wait here."

Usually Mac understood perfectly well what Dean was asking from him but this time he just ignored Dean's words and kept butting his head into Dean's leg.

"What is with him?" Sam whispered from the other side of the stall they were leaning on.

"Dunno." Dean bent down to scoop the pig up but Mac dodged his hand easily. On his short little legs he sprinted towards the trailer but stopped after a few yards, throwing an expectant look at them. Then he started walking again.

"Mac, come back." Dean hissed after him but the pig ignored him. There was determination in the little guy's steps when he walked up to the door of the trailer.

"Dammit." Dean cursed and sprinted after him. Sam stayed back and Dean trusted him to keep an eye out for the goddess.

Mac reached the three steps leading up to the door before Dean could catch him. His feet made clunking noises on the metal.

"What are you doing?" Dean whispered. "He's going to hear you."

Hastily he scooped the pig up but before he could retreat, the door opened.

"You're back early. The guy didn't put up much of a fight?" The guy asked through the widening gap of the door.

Then he caught sight of Dean.

His face paled and he tried to slam the door shut. He would have succeeded, Dean was too stunned by what he was seeing to react, but Mac was quicker. He darted out of Dean's arms and through the man's legs.

"Sam!" Dean bellowed, reaching for his wooden stake. "It's them!"

The man standing in the door was only wearing light pants which had been white at one point. Now they were strained with blood. His bare chest was covered with symbols drawn in blood and his hands and feet were caked with blood. The inside of the trailer looked like a slaughterhouse and the smell of old blood hit Dean in waves.

Before he could raise the stake, the guy reached for him. Dean braced himself for the impact, already curling in on himself to soften the fall but instead of pushing him the man grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.

Caught off guard Dean stumbled forward, past the man who used the momentum to crash Dean into the kitchen counter on the opposite wall.

"Dean!" He heard Sam over the ringing in his own ears and the crashing of cutlery on the floor. Dean wasn't sure if he'd cut himself when he'd cleared the counter but that had to wait. He still had the stake in his hand and a second later he was back on his feet.

By now Sam's broad form was filling the door and the guy was trapped between them. In the cramped confines of the trailer he had nowhere to go.

With a feral grin on his lips Dean raised his stake while Sam did the same.

The man darted to the side but stumbled over Mac and crashed to the ground. It made a squishy sound when he landed on the blood soaked carpet but that only made Dean's grin grew wider.

He had his prey. It was squirming on the ground in the fruitless attempt to get away from him.

Knowing he had won, Dean let the stake swirl in his hand before he gripped it hard.

"Time's up, buddy." He said, enjoying the fear in his enemy's eyes.

Without taking his eyes off him the guy was crawling away, hands frantically searching for a weapon.

His fingers closed around a bone, the end of a tendon and ribbons of bloody flesh still hanging from it, but Dean dodged it easily when the guy tried to hit him.

"Please." The pagan god whimpered. He had reached the end of the trailer, cowering in the corner. He was rather pathetic for a god.

Dean took in the picture in front of him, Brian's vision would come true after all.

He stepped closer. He knew he was enjoying this way too much but he didn't care.

"Dean, hurry up." Came Sam's urgent voice from behind him. "The other guy could be back any minute."

Right, there were two of them. Did they always come as a double deal?

"Where's your partner?" Dean asked but didn't really care about an answer. The second god was probably at the motel, looking for Dean. He would come back when he couldn't find his sacrifice. He won't know what hit him.

"I'm here." Suddenly a new voice answered his question.

The too familiar sound of something blunt connecting with the back of Sam's head filled the sudden silence.

Dean could only watch when his brother's eyes rolled back and he went down.

"Sam!" Dean darted forward but a hand around his ankle stopped him. He went down hard, the stake caught between his chest and the floor, knocking the wind out of his lungs. For a second his face was only inches from Sam's but he didn't have the time to check if his brother was still breathing or not.

The guy behind him yanked him back by his ankles.

"Chris, kill him!" The god screamed, clawing at his legs to prevent him from getting back up. Dean tried to twist his way out of his grip but the guy was strong.

"I should have known that he was a hunter." The new guy, Chris, pointed with the cleaver in his hand at Sam's prone body. Why he had used the blunt handle and not the blade to attack Sam was beyond Dean but he wasn't complaining.

"No shit." The man behind Dean gritted out while he tried to keep Dean from kicking out his teeth. "Just kill them both."

With a high pitched squeal Mac darted out of nowhere and rammed into Chris' leg. The man tumbled backwards but caught his footing.

"You little shit." He muttered and kicked the pig out of the way. Mac let out a pained scream but he was still standing.

"Mac, run!" Dean yelled at him. He kicked out and his foot actually connected with something and with a grunt the god let go of him. Dean didn't look back to see where he'd hit him.

The only thing that mattered was that the iron grip on his legs was gone and he used his chance to come up to his hands and knees, the stake still in his fist.

Before he got up to his feet, Mac was back again, though. He charged at the god in front of Dean again and this time the man used the cleaver to sweep the pig away. Mac screamed in an almost human voice and then went silent.

"Mac!" Dean had lost sight of the pig in all that blood and stuff they'd knocked around during their fight. But there was fresh blood on the blade of the cleaver.

Dean's world went red.


	17. Chapter 17

Dean stopped thinking.

The cleaver was in his hand now. He'd no idea how that happened but it didn't matter.

Everything felt distant, as if Dean was watching himself through a red veil of blood. At the same time he'd never felt so alive, so _there_, before in his life.

The Mark was burning its way through his arm but it was a sweet agony, freeing.

For an eternity all he heard was screaming and the tearing of flesh. All he smelled was blood and fear. All he saw was red.

Old memories surfaced. He had forgotten how good it felt, how good he was at this.

The Mark whispered sweetly in his ear and Dean wanted to see the world burn.

At first Dean didn't know what brought him back. He would have liked to say that he'd pulled himself back from the edge but deep down he knew it wasn't true. The Mark was strong and each time it got harder to resist. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to resist any longer.

There was this noise again, piercing through his blood-fogged mind.

"Mac?" Dean asked, his voice only a hoarse whisper. He blinked.

He was kneeling in blood, most of it fresh but not his. The pagan gods where dead. One lay in the corner just like Brian had predicted, the other one lay in front of Dean with the stake still embedded deep in his chest. But that was not his only wound, far from it.

Dean had to force his cramped fingers to open but after a long second he let go of the cleaver.

"Mac." He repeated and scrambled forward on all fours to get to the pig. Mac was clearly injured and whimpering in pain but he was determined to get to Dean.

He was covered in blood and Dean couldn't tell what was Mac's and what not.

"Hey." Gently Dean put a hand under Mac's stomach and lifted him up, cradling him at his chest. "I got you."

Mac let out a pained noise but didn't try to get free. Dean took it as a good sign but he could already tell that Mac's injuries were too serious to deal with on their own.

"Sam." Dean shook his brother's shoulder. Sam had been out for how long? This wasn't good. "Sammy, wake up."

When Sam let out a groan, Dean let out a breath as well. Sam's eyelids fluttered and then he blinked up at him.

Sam made another noise which could have been "Dean" and his eyes locked with his brother's.

"Morning, sunshine." Dean forced his lips into a fake smile. The taste of brimstone still lingered in the back of his throat and he didn't dare to look too closely at the corpses he'd left behind.

Mac had gone quiet in his arm and Sam most likely had a concussion if not a broken skull. The day just got better and better.

"Dean?" This time the word came out clear.

"We need to leave." Dean urged, straining his ears. "Somebody might have heard us. And Mac needs a vet. Now."

That got Sam's attention. He jolted upright which he regretted instantly. With both hands he kept his head from exploding and Dean was surprised that he didn't threw up right then and there.

Sam just sat there for a moment longer, breathing through the nausea. Dean winced in sympathy, he knew that feeling.

Then Sam had his first look around.

"What happened?" He asked but that was a question Dean didn't even want to think about.

"Mac is hurt." He said instead and with his free hand he grabbed Sam's upper arm, forcing him up.

When they got out of the trailer, Dean expected people coming for them but the trailer park was dark and quiet.

They were lucky. Again. Dean tightened his hold on Mac.

By the time they reached the car Sam was almost steady on his legs again but he was in no condition to drive.

"Take him." Dean put Mac in Sam's lap where the pig just plopped to the side. His breathing was labored, his flank fluttering with every painful breath. Blood coated his whole body and even in the light of the car Dean couldn't tell what was Mac's and what wasn't. The shiny fresh spots were probably Mac's, though.

Sam used one of the shirts from Mac's nest to put pressure on the wound.

"Find the next vet clinic." Dean tossed his phone at Sam who almost dropped it but then fumbled with trembling fingers over the screen to get them an address.

Dean drove with a white knuckled grip on the wheel and the muscles in his jaw so tight that he felt his teeth grinding. He didn't dare to take his eyes off the street.

Behind his eyes images flashed. The gods, the cleaver, the blood. This time he welcomed it, it kept his mind off Mac.

"Left at the next intersection." Sam's voice came out strained and when Dean threw a glance at him he saw him squinting at the screen. The light of the phone gave him an unhealthy bluish color. Dean doubted it was all because of the phone. The thin layer of sweat on Sam's face wasn't a good sign either.

He should at least lay down and not blinding himself with a bright light. Which got even worse when Sam switched to the flashlight feature to check on Mac.

"What got him?" Sam asked when he had a closer look at the wound.

"Cleaver." Dean gritted his teeth.

Sam didn't say anything to that but Dean did hear him mumbling nonsense to Mac while he patted the pig's head.

When they finally reached the vet clinic, Dean thought it was closed. It was the middle of the night and the building lay dark in front of him.

He had Mac in his arms again, Sam followed them a bit slower and if Dean had thought about it he'd rather have Sam wait in the car than to haul his ass out here in his condition.

"Hey!" Dean banged at the door and pressed the emergency button right next to it. "Anybody there?"

Then, finally, the door opened.

There stood a woman who had been asleep a minute ago judging by her unruly hair and the pillow crease on her cheek.

But when her eyes fell on the bloody mess in Dean's arm she snapped awake.

"Down the corridor, last door on the left." She instructed and stepped aside to let Dean in. "Put it on the table."

Dean rushed forward while the doc questioned Sam. He didn't listen to Sam's answers but when the doc joined him at the table it was clear that she knew this wasn't a random pig they'd found or hit with their car. She knew Mac was theirs.

"Hey there, sweety." She said in a low tone while she scratched him with a gloved hand behind the ear. "We have to wash away the blood first. Then we'll see."

Dean was pretty sure that it was more meant for him than Mac but he hoped that if the pig knew what the doc was doing the whole procedure would be less stressful for him.

Dean took over the petting duty while she rinsed the blood out of the short fur. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sam sitting down on a chair in the corner. He didn't say a word and Dean just hoped that there wasn't a trip to the ER due next.

"This is quite a cut." The doc said. Dean didn't even know her name. She wasn't wearing a name tag, not even a coat. Just some hastily thrown on jeans and a t-shirt. "A cleaver, you said?"

"Yeah, sick bastard just came after him." Dean tried to keep his voice low and even for Mac's sake but failed. The doc glanced up at him at that, somehow judging him, but went back to work without a word.

"He is lucky." She said which Sam commented with a snort. At least he hadn't past out over there. "The ribs stopped the blade and protected the organs. But I want to do some x-rays to see the damage on the ribs."

It was a long cut almost going from leg to leg on his side. The tip of the blade had hit near his shoulder where the cut was deep enough to see the bone but it was almost shallow over the soft side of Mac's belly.

If Mac had stood the other way around, he would have been gutted. But lucky him …

Dean sent out a silent "thank you" to any higher entity that felt like listening.

It was the middle of the night and the doc was alone in the clinic so Dean would assist her with the x-rays.

She kicked Sam out to crash in the waiting room while Dean washed the blood off his hands. He could only hope that the doc assumed it was all Mac's.

"You're not pregnant, aren't you?" She handed him a lead apron before she started with the pictures.

"No." Dean gave her a tight smile.

"He's going to be fine." She assured him and then focused on her work.

Dean followed her orders, holding Mac in this position and that, as gently as possible but he was still inflicting more pain on Mac.

"Shh, it's okay. Just a few second longer." Dean talked him through every bit and it seemed to actually help him.

"He trusts you." The doc observed.

Dean didn't know what to say to that. Their relationship was so much more than just a pet trusting its owner.

While they waited for the pictures she shaved the area around the cut and cleaned it properly.

"He is a wild animal." She said after a moment. "Not even native around here."

"I know." In his mind Dean was already making plans to bust Mac out of here if she decided to do the_ right thing_. He liked her and she seemed to know what she was doing and if she managed to save Mac's life he would be forever grateful but he would never let her take Mac from him. The last thing he wanted to do was to point a gun at her but if that was what it took …

He was saved, for now, by the pictures.

She put them on the light screen and studied them for a moment. Dean stayed at the table, comforting Mac, and from this distance he couldn't make out the details.

"There are deep cuts in the ribs but nothing broken." She told him. "Those should heal by themselves."

Dean watched her while she put stitches in Mac's side who by now was blissfully sedated.

"Something for the pain." She shook the bottle before she handed it to Dean. "And antibiotics." Another bottle landed in his hand. He slipped the pill bottles in his pocket but raised an eyebrow at her.

"You just let me walk out of here with him?" He knew he should just grab his pig and his brother and leave but he needed to ask. "You haven't even ask if I have a permit for him."

"Look." She raked her fingers through her hair. "Usually I would make sure that everything is correct here. Not because of the law but for the animal. But with him?" She sighed, looking down on the dozing pig on the table, head snuggled into Dean's hand.

"I can't explain it." She shook her head, laughing quietly at herself. "It's just I have this feeling … I know it's stupid."

"It's not stupid." Dean took her hand. "You're doing the right thing here. Mac is in good hands."

She locked eyes with him as if she was searching for the truth there and then she nodded.

"Thank you." Dean smiled at her. "What do I owe you?"

He listened to her instructions on how to a take care of the wound, as if he didn't know already, and left her a generous tip.

Then he went to look for his brother. He found him slumped down in one of the chairs in the waiting room.

"Sam?"


	18. Chapter 18

"Sammy?" Dean adjusted Mac's limp body on his forearm and reached with his free hand for Sam. "Wake up."

He gave Sam's shoulder a gentle squeeze, knowing better than to jostle him around in his condition, and with a groan Sam tried to lift his head.

"D'n?" The word came out in a slur and Dean only understood his name because what else would Sam say?

"Yeah, it's me. Time to wake up. You're frightening the nice vet." Dean tired to make it sound like a joke but it didn't feel like one. She was hovering in the background and now Dean became painfully aware of all the blood. He was covered in it and Sam who had been lying on that blood soaked floor in the trailer didn't look better. A pig of Mac's size didn't have enough blood to explain this.

"What is with him?" The vet asked, stepping closer. "Is that his blood?"

Dean wasn't sure if the alarm in her voice meant that she was about to call the police or an ambulance, he didn't know which, probably both, or if she was considering breaking every rule and risking her job by treating a person.

"Not his." Dean answered. He kept his hand on Sam's shoulder to prevent him from falling out of the chair while Sam fought his way back to consciousness. This was not good. "He got hit over the head. Probably has a concussion."

He had a sleeping Mac in his arm, a vet slowly working her way into panic in his back and a barely conscious Sam in front of him. Where was his luck when he needed it?

He glanced down at Mac. Maybe he needed to be awake to work his magic. And not being busy staying alive, that would probably help too.

"What happened?" The doc finally asked. She was still giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe because of Mac. What cold-blooded killer had a pet pig?

_I have_, Dean thought bitterly and to buy himself some time he gently put Mac down in the chair next to Sam. By now his brother had his eyes open and followed every move Dean made without moving his head too much.

"We got attacked." Dean finally answered. "The guy with the cleaver hit Sam over the head first and then went after Mac."

Now that he had both hands free, Dean held Sam by the shoulders and crouched down to get to eye level with him.

Sam's gaze was clear, both pupils were the same size and his eyes were focused on Dean. He didn't want to play twenty questions in font of the doc, though. They should drop in at the next ER but it didn't look like it had to be in this town. Dean would like to bring a few miles between them and the bodies he'd left behind before Sam got stuck in a hospital for a few days. If it really was this bad. Maybe a few days in bed would do the trick.

"I'll call an ambulance." She said and hurried over to the front desk.

"Wait." Dean called after her and she froze with a whimper. Slowly and clearly shaking she turned around to face him.

"Please." She said, eyes too bright. Her gaze flickered over Dean, lingering on … it took him a second to notice that in his crouched position the gun in his waistband might be visible.

Yep, she was definitely not ogling his ass.

She looked ready to bolt but she had to get past Dean to get to the front door. And to the back she had a long way before she could duck into a room that wouldn't be a dead end.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Dean said, still crouching in front of Sam and he hoped that he looked less threatening this way. Minutes ago she had been helping him and now she thought she wouldn't survive the night.

His words did nothing to calm her down but they had some effect on Sam. He snapped to attention and sat up straighter, eyes scanning the room for a possible threat. Dean let go of him and when he was sure that Sam could hold himself upright on his own, he stood up.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He repeated with his hands open at his sides to show her that he meant no harm. "I'll just take my brother and my pig and then we'll leave."

Which was a good plan but it held some logistic problems. Mac was still out and even if he was awake, he was in no condition to walk out on his own.

With Sam Dean wasn't sure. He would like to have both hands free just in case his brother decided to face-plant on his way to the car.

The last thing he wanted to do was to leave one of them alone, though.

He looked over at the vet who watched him with big eyes.

"Could you carry Mac to the car while I take my brother?" He asked and almost laughed at her expression.

"I … you … what?" She stammered.

"I know you won't hurt him." Dean shrugged, not showing how much he hated the idea. He just wanted to leave. "And I'm less likely to hurt you while you have him, right?" He tried to make it sound lighthearted but failed miserably.

"Dean." Sam's fingers dug into his shoulder while he hauled himself to his feet. "You carry Mac, I'm fine." The way he used Dean as a crutch for standing alone showed how not fine he was but Dean didn't point it out.

"It's okay. I can take him." The doc hurried to say, a worried eye on Sam. If she saw him as an additional threat or was just worried that he would puke on her floor Dean didn't know.

Without letting Dean out of her sight, she stepped over to Mac who was peacefully sleeping through all this.

That was the moment Sam made up his mind about the puking thing.

"Eww." Dean made but had Sam in a practiced grip at the same time. Ignoring the mess on the floor he maneuvered Sam back into the chair where he slumped down, elbows resting on his knees and head hanging with strings of bile still hanging from his chin.

"Here." Suddenly a small basin and some paper towels appeared under his nose. Followed by a cup of water.

"Thank you." Dean smiled at the vet who gave him a shy smile in return. He still didn't know her name. "What's your name?"

"Amanda." She answered. She stepped back, awkwardly rubbing her hands at her jeans.

"I'm Dean. This is my brother Sam." He said while he placed the cup in Sam's shaking hand. Most of the water ran out of the corners of his mouth but he got enough into his mouth to rinse it.

"I'm sorry for the floor." Sam said around the paper towel Dean was using to clean up his face. He looked exhausted with dark smudges under his eyes and the flakes of dried blood in his stubble did nothing to make him look less homicidal.

"He has a concussion at least." Amanda observed more focused on the injured man in front of her than anything else. "We need to call an ambulance or you drive him to the hospital yourself."

This was the professional talking and at least temporarily her fear of them was forgotten. Almost. She still kept her distance and her eyes kept flickering over the gun hidden in Dean's waistband and their soiled clothes.

"I'm fine." Sam insisted and not only Dean rolled his eyes at him.

"Better let you get checked out. Just in case." Dean cupped Sam's neck and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The muscles under his hand felt tense and the skin was clammy with cold sweat.

"Dean, we have to leave." Sam said with a glance at Amanda. His speech was almost clear which Dean took as a good sign.

"Doesn't mean we can't get you checked out." Dean replied easily.

Next to him Amanda sighed. "You're not going to our hospital, aren't you?"

With two bodies and a trailer full of blood and body parts just waiting for somebody to find, sticking around was a bad idea. Dean would risk it if Sam was in immediate danger but chances were good that this was just their usual concussion and even if not, there were other hospitals elsewhere.

He knew that Sam was thinking along the same lines, maybe not that coherent but still, and he trusted Sam to tell him if things were really bad. They both had their fair share of concussions and they knew not to treat them lightly. But they also knew the difference between "Hospital. Now!" and "Just let me sleep it off.".

Another sigh and then Amanda straightened up as if she'd come to a decision.

"Let me at least have a look at him, then." She said. "And if I say that he needs a hospital now, you bring him in. It's not far."

Dean just stared at her.

"No, it's fine. I'm good." Sam hurried to say and to prove his point he tried to stand up again. "We'll just leave."

"Oh, for Christ's sake." She huffed and grabbed Sam's upper arm to stabilize him. "This way."

Together they got Sam into the room where Mac had been treated not long ago. Sam was more or less steady on his feet but Dean didn't loosen his hold on him just in case.

"I'm not a doctor." Amanda said while she was gathering her things. "And I highly recommend seeing one as soon as possible."

She came back to Sam who was sitting on the steel table, looking miserable. Dean stood at his side but was ignored for now.

Amanda did some simple tests and asked the standard questions like name, date and home address.

Sam was there enough to leave out _Winchester_, name the right date and come up with Bobby's address in Sioux Falls.

She even did some x-rays and as far as she could tell – "Still not a people doctor" – there was nothing broken and it didn't look like Sam was bleeding inside his skull.

Dean had seen enough pictures like this to agree with her but he also knew that x-ray was not the best way to diagnose that.

So far it looked like Sam just needed a few days of rest and if they were lucky that was it.

Speaking of lucky …

"Where is Mac?" Dean looked around but didn't see the pig.

He found Mac where he'd left him, asleep in one of the chairs in the front of the clinic. Dean carried him outside and put him in his usual nest in the foot room of the passenger side. Mac didn't even stir and Dean hurried back inside to get his brother.

He came in just in time to hear Sam saying: "Thank you. For helping us."

"It looked like you needed some help." She said as if she still couldn't believe what she just did.

"We're not the bad guys." Dean said when he entered the room. "But if you get in trouble for this, just tell them that we forced you."

He hated that once again they would be the bad guys in the story but he didn't want her to get in trouble or even lose her job over this.

Sam walked out on his own and the second they were out of the door, Amanda locked it behind them. Dean wasn't surprised.

"What now?" Sam asked while he tried to arrange his legs around Mac.

"Stop at the motel to get our stuff and then we're outa here." Dean closed the door for Sam and walked over to the other side. "I'll drive through till morning, then we'll see, hospital or motel. Either way, a few days of downtime for you."

"Sounds like a plan." Sam agreed, slumping deeper into the seat.


	19. Chapter 19

Dean's first instinct when he had his brother and his pig bundled up in the car and the vet clinic in his rear view mirror was to drive straight through back to the bunker. It was only half a day away and he could get there faster if he pushed it.

But now that the immediate danger was gone, both Mac and Sam mainly needed rest, at least in Sam's case he hoped that was enough, exhaustion crept up on him. By now it was early morning and he hadn't slept all night. Plus there were the aftereffects of what he'd done under the influence of the Mark. It wasn't exactly a physical exhaustion, more an emotional one, but it left him drained and tired nevertheless. Dean yawned and rubbed his palm over his stubble to keep himself awake. He needed to at least put some distance between them and the bodies they had left behind.

Dean threw a glance over at Sam. He was sleeping with his head against the window, using his jacket as a makeshift pillow that didn't help much to cushion the vibrations from the car. It didn't look comfortable even for someone who didn't suffer from a concussion.

Dean's gaze wandered down to Mac but in the darkness of the car he couldn't make out more than a vague shape. There was no movement, the pig was still out like a light. Which was probably for the better, Dean knew how much of a bitch wounds could be that went over the ribcage. Every breath was fun even without the almost gutted part.

To not jostle them around too much Dean drove like a grandma and he was just glad that Sam was out because he would never hear the end of that. Not that Sam wouldn't be secretly grateful for the not jostling part but he was a pain in the ass little brother.

Dean only drove for about an hour or two before he started looking for a place to crash. By now he had to fight to keep his eyes open.

At a gas station he helped himself to a strong coffee and bought some bottles of Mountain Dew and crackers for Sam.

When he came back to the car, Sam hadn't moved but Mac blinked up at him with a questioning sound.

"I'm here." He reassured the pig and leaned down to scratch him behind the ear. Mac leaned into the touch as if he needed to make sure that Dean was really there but then he dropped back into his nest. The way he went limp and drifted off to sleep, Dean hoped that the meds still worked and Mac wasn't in pain.

Dean used the coffee break to have a look at the motels around here on his phone. He wanted something a bit more upscale than the dumps they usually stayed at. A place where he didn't have to fear that his patients caught something nasty on top of the injuries they already had.

And a comfortable bed would be nice too. Not that Dean expected to get much sleep any time soon. He still needed to keep an eye on Sam. If things got worse he would bring him into the next ER. Which he also checked out on his phone while he was at it. Just in case.

A destination in mind Dean eased the Impala back on the road.

Sam slept through everything and didn't even notice when Dean parked the car and left to get them a room. It only took a few minutes but Dean couldn't help but glance in the direction of the car every few seconds even if he couldn't actually see it from here.

"Sick baby?" The clerk, an elderly woman with a warm smile, asked.

"Something like that." Dean answered absently before he turned back to her. "That obvious?" He didn't correct her, it was kinda true. Even if one of his babies was a seven foot giant and the other one a pig.

He hadn't asked about pets but it was early enough in the morning, nobody would notice when he carried Mac inside. And even if somebody noticed, as long as nobody had a closer look, he probably could pass Mac off as a baby.

Back at the car Dean had to be careful when he opened the passenger side door that his brother didn't just fall out.

"Dean?" Sam smacked his lips without opening his eyes.

"C'mon, Sam." With a steadying hand on his shoulder he tried to navigate Sam's freakishly long legs out of the car without hitting Mac. At least the pig had woken up and scrambled out of the way by himself. At least he tried to. The pained noise he made broke Dean's heart but first he had to get Sam inside.

"It's okay." Dean tried to sooth both of them. It was lost to Sam who's head just lolled from one side to the other but Mac settled down with a sigh.

"Sam." Dean lifted Sam's head to get his brother's attention. "There's a bed waiting for you."

Sam rose far enough to get out of the car and make his way over to their room with a minimum of help from Dean.

However, he did need help with his shoes, bending down with a concussion was never a good idea, but he managed to wiggle his way out of his jeans by himself. Dean helped him out of the blood soiled shirts but before he let Sam crawl under the covers he set him up with painkillers and fluids.

Sam was out again the second his head hit the fluffy pillow and Dean was out of the room to get Mac a second later.

Mac was awake but hadn't moved since he'd tried to get away from Sam's feet.

"Hey." Dean crouched down in the open door, pondering his options. He didn't want to cause Mac more pain than he absolutely had to. "How are you doing?"

Mac answered with a noise that almost sounded like a question. He pinned Dean down with his stare and it did feel like he had thrown the question right back at Dean.

"I'm fine." Dean assured him and only felt a little stupid for explaining himself to a pig. The way Mac pressed his head into his palm, he wasn't buying it.

"I'm at least not injured." Dean pointed out. It was too dark in the foot room to actually see him but Dean had no doubt that Mac was rolling his eyes at him.

"Let's get you inside. You can have my bed, sounds good?" Dean asked but didn't wait for an answer. He scooped Mac up with his nest and everything and carefully carried him inside.

He put him down in the middle of the second bed. They usually shared a bed nowadays so it wouldn't be a problem. Not that Dean was ready for sleep just yet.

By now Sam was snoring softly and Dean breathed easier, at least he didn't have to deal with two patients at the same time.

"You good?" Dean sat down next to Mac who wiggled into a more comfortable position with little pained noises before he went still.

"I know." Dean petted his head, keeping his hand from the bandages covering more than half of his body. "I'm sorry."

Before he had acted on instinct. Get Mac out of the trailer and to the vet, take care of Sam and then get them both to safety. Now that that was all done, Dean had time to think. He could have lost Mac, he could have lost Sam. He could have lost himself to the Mark.

His hand on Mac's head stilled and he had to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat.

"I almost got you killed." He would have never said something like that if Sam had been awake but Sam was sleeping and with Mac he could pretend that the pig didn't understand him. He was pretty sure that he was lying to himself with that but it made things easier.

At his words Mac did move. He was clearly in pain but determination kept him going, he was a Winchester after all, and he didn't stop until he lay spread over Dean's lap.

"I take that you disagree?" Dean asked but couldn't shake off the feeling that he had failed at protecting him. Magic or not, Mac was just a little piglet and luck and glamor can get you only so far.

They stayed like that for a while, Dean sitting on the bed with Mac in his lap. It wasn't really comfortable for Dean, his legs were going numb and he had to brace himself with one arm on the bed, but Mac had dozed off again and he didn't want to wake him up.

He wondered if he could scoot up to the headboard without waking Mac, when Sam bolted out of his bed and after a confused second dashed towards the bathroom.

Dean let out a sigh when the retching started.

"Sorry, bud." As gently as possible he transferred Mac back to his nest and then went to check on his brother.

He found him on his knees, arms curled around the toilet and his head resting on the seat. Dean was really glad that he had spent more money than usual on their room so at least the toilet looked clean and chances were good that it actually was.

"You done?" He filled a glass with water and handed it to Sam who took it with a shaking hand.

Sam knew better than to nod or move his head more than absolutely necessary. That was why he rinsed his mouth with his chin still resting on the toilet seat.

"How do you feel?" Dean took the glass back before Sam could drop it in the toilet. "Ready to go back to bed?"

He gave Sam's neck a squeeze. The muscles were tense and the skin was clammy but he had expected it. Concussions were never fun.

While he waited for Sam to collect himself, Dean rubbed circles with his thumb in the nape of his neck. It never failed to relax him and like this Sam was too out of it to really notice so Dean could get away with it.

On their way back to the bed Dean sneaked in a few questions to make sure that Sam was orientated and wasn't suffering any symptoms more worrying than nausea and a mother of a headache.

Sam clearly didn't like it when Dean didn't let him go back to sleep immediately but he knew the drill and played along. A few sips of Mountain Dew to give him back some fluids later Dean let him go back to sleep.

By now the sun was up and Dean drew the curtains close to block out the light. Sam commented it with an approving huff before he buried his face in the pillow and was out again.

Mac was sleeping as well and Dean stretched out next to him on the bed. He hadn't slept all night and he should catch an hour or two before Sam was done with sleeping and became all whiny and clingy.

As a true Winchester Sam suffered in heroic silence when it came to dying but with something like this he suddenly remembered that he was a brat of a little brother. Dean was looking forward to it. Now. Later he would be tempted to strangle his brother, he was sure of it.

So he should rest while he had the chance but he was too tired to sleep.

He didn't really remember what had happened in the trailer after that guy had hurt Mac but bits and pieces were coming back. The details were lost to him but he did remember the feeling.

It had felt good. And that was what scared him the most about the Mark. How he embraced that feeling and how it became more and more difficult to not give in to the temptation.

Without realizing it he had reached out for Mac and now the pig slept wedged into his side. And just like that the dark thoughts eased off and Dean drifted of to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Dean woke to a wet snout pressed against his throat and a desperate noise coming from the pig at his side. The fact that Mac hadn't moved and was still lying on his good side next to Dean showed in how much pain he was. Usually he didn't have any qualms standing on Dean's chest to wake him up.

"Hey." Dean said, voice still heavy from sleep. He threw a quick glance over to the other bed but Sam was still sleeping. At least he had only one patient to take care of at the moment.

"You need something for the pain?" Carefully Dean extracted himself from the pig and slid out of bed without jostling him around too much.

Mac squirmed and made another desperate noise.

"Shh, it's okay, I'll get you your meds." Dean hushed him and gave him a quick rub over the head. He didn't want to wake Sammy if he didn't have to. "You'll feel better in a minute."

Dean wasn't sure if Mac would just take the pills or if he had to hide them in a biscuit or something, not that he thought he could fool Mac.

To his surprise Mac took the pills without a fuss but didn't say no to the biscuit either. However, he didn't stop squirming.

"It takes a few minutes before they take effect." Dean sat down on the edge of the bed, gently petting him. It didn't calm the pig down. Quite the opposite. Mac's whining became more intense and he tried to get closer to the edge of the bed.

"Stop moving." Dean muttered and stilled him with a hand on his back. The texture of the bandage covering most of Mac's body felt wrong under his hand and he worried that a touch this close to the wound caused Mac more pain but if he kept moving around like this, he would pull some stitches.

Mac let out a frustrated huff and went still for a moment.

The flush of the toilet was loud in the silence.

"What?" Dean turned around to confirm that Sam was still sleeping in his bed and hadn't sneaked out under his nose.

"Stay here." Dean whispered and reached for his gun. Why somebody would break into their bathroom to take a piss he had no idea but he was about to find out. Gun in hand he pushed the bathroom door open. The room was slightly bigger then their usual hole in the wall but still too small to hide in. Dean made a quick step farther into the room to check behind the door which was the only place a person could hide in here. There was nobody there and the window was closed.

"What?" Dean asked again. Feeling stupid standing in the bathroom with his gun in hand he tucked it back in his waistband. Maybe he'd heard the toilet from the room next door. Shaking his head over his own stupidity, and he was really glad that Sam was still sleeping, Dean stepped back into the main room.

The toilet flushed again.

This time Dean was close enough to see that there wasn't any water running in the toilet and the noise wasn't coming from the right direction either. The sound was just there.

"What the fuck?" Dean turned in a slow circle, ready for an attack from any direction.

From his bed Mac made another noise, more desperate this time.

"Oh. Oh!" Suddenly Dean felt very stupid. "You have to pee."

The noise Mac made at that Dean easily translated to: "Finally, stupid."

That was a problem, though. In his condition Dean didn't want Mac to walk around let alone walk around outside, shifting on the bed alone caused him pain, and of course they had left the litter box at the bunker. Dean remembered that argument. He had wanted to take it with them but Sam had said no.

"Okay, hang on." Dean looked around for something he could use. For a second he was considering some of Sam's shirts just because it was his fault they didn't have the litter box but in the end he carried Mac over to the bathroom and gently put him down in the bathtub. Mac was too weak to stand on his own so Dean had to hold him up with a hand under his stomach.

"Just don't pee over my hand." Dean muttered when Mac let go with a sigh. He had his eyes closed in bliss.

"Thanks for not just wetting the bed." Dean said and Mac butted his head against Dean's arm.

Back in bed Mac just dropped in his nest and was asleep a second later.

Dean smiled down at him for a moment and then went to rinse the tub and wash his hands.

He was back in time to find Sam struggling with his blanket.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked but took pity on him and untangled his legs from the blanket.

"Thirsty." Sam croaked out but now that Dean knew about his need he seemed content with lying back, one arm over his eyes to block out the light.

"Stay put, I'll get you something." Dean replaced the empty bottle on the nightstand with a new one. "How's your head?"

"Killing me." Sam admitted because lying was pointless, they both knew the morning after feeling of a fresh concussion. Sam took the painkillers Dean offered him and washed them down with half of the bottle.

Then he lay there, pondering.

"Bathroom?" Dean asked, knowing the hard decision Sam was facing right now. Did the pressure in his bladder outweigh the pain and nausea of getting up? In the end the bladder always won.

"Hmm." Sam answered without moving his head. It took him a few minutes to come to the conclusion that he was fighting a losing battle.

Dean watched him getting out of bed and slowly making his way over to the bathroom.

"And use the toilet, not the tub." Dean raised his voice at the closed door. Sam didn't answer, his brain probably too scrambled to find Dean's words odd.

When Sam came back, he went straight for his bed.

"I want to go in a supply run." Dean informed him while he tucked the blanket around Sam's feet. "You good for a while? Need anything?"

"Tomato soup?" Sam blinked with owlish eyes at him and for a second he looked like a little kid again. Dean fought the urge to ruffle his hair.

"Of course." Dean promised and added rice to his mental shopping list.

By the time he had his boots on, both his patients were sleeping and it didn't look like they would wake up any time soon.

He made it a quick run nevertheless.

He bought the soup and rice, crackers and more soft drinks for Sam to get some fluids and calories into him without upsetting his stomach too much, a few cans of dog food for Mac and since they had a little kitchenette with a fridge Dean loaded the cart with stuff to make sandwiches.

Dean had left out a meal or two so his mouth was watering at the thought of a good sandwich. With any luck, and he had plenty of that lately, Sam and Mac would sleep long enough for him to enjoy his meal.

When Dean entered their motel room, he instantly knew that his sandwich had to wait.

Mac still lay in his nest where Dean had left him. His eyes were open but glassy and he was panting.

Sam's bed was empty.

"I was gone for five minutes." Dean muttered and closed the door with his boot. He hurried to put the bags on the table and then stepped over to Mac while he glanced through the open bathroom door in search for his brother. A disorientated Sam wandering around outside was the last thing he needed right now.

He caught a glimpse of bare feet and legs in sweats on the floor.

"Are you alive in there?" He asked and got a moan for an answer which sounded just miserable but not as if Sam was in distress. Probably a new wave of nausea, Dean guessed. And judging by the silence coming from the bathroom, Sam was already done with it.

"And what's with you?" Dean sat down on the bed and reached for Mac. He was warm to the touch and whimpering in pain. "Running a fever?"

Dean had read the instructions for Mac's pain meds earlier so he knew that it was safe to give him more. While he fiddled with the bottle Dean heard a cap twisting and the telltale fizzling of a carbonated drink.

A quick look around confirmed that Sam was still lying on the bathroom floor and Dean doubted that he would open something to drink while his head was basically in the toilet.

"Thirsty?" He arched an eyebrow at Mac who tried to focus his gaze on him but failed miserably. "Got it."

Dean grinned, this was way easier than trying to interpret Mac's noises. Not that Mac had any trouble making himself understood with his voice and body language. But now that he couldn't move and every breath hurt, he had to find another way to express himself.

Dean doubted that a sweet soft drink was good for Mac but he guessed it was okay for the same reasons he gave it to Sam, fluids and calories. And Mac had specifically asked for that and not just tab water. Injured like he was Dean couldn't deny him anything.

Mac lapped the drink up with a happy noise and Dean couldn't help but smile.

When Mac was taken care of, Dean stepped over to have a look at his brother. Who was peacefully sleeping on the bathroom floor.

Dean flushed to get rid of the mess Sam had left behind and then crouched down next to him.

"Sam?" He tried to wake him up. "Sammy, c'mon. Back to bed."

It took him a while to rise Sam enough to get him off the floor.

"I need to brush my teeth." He announced once he was upright again.

"Sure." Dean changed directions and dropped him on the closed toilet lid instead. A moment later Sam sat there, looking like an overtired five-year-old with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

After brushing his teeth Sam was clearly exhausted and went back to bed without protest but by now he was too awake to go back to sleep.

"How about some soup now?" Dean suggested.

While the soup was heating up, with rice, Dean put away the groceries and checked on Mac.

The pig had fallen asleep again but he was still warmer than usual. Not worryingly high, just a light fever that came with the healing. At least Dean hoped so.

He served Sam the soup in bed and set down on the edge of his own bed facing Sam with his own sandwich.

"By the way." He said around a mouthful. "If you hear strange noises, that's just Mac."

"What kind of strange noises?" Sam set the still half-full bowl aside and stretched out again.

"The toilet flushing when he wants to pee." Dean took another bite. "A bottle opening when he's thirsty, things like that."

"Okay." Sam turned to his side, looking at him with a smile. "You know, our life is weird."

"You're telling me." Dean finished his sandwich. "Try to get some rest."

Dean changed Mac bandages and checked the wound while he was at it. So far it was healing nicely.

After that he stretched out on his bed with Mac snuggled up next to him. Sam had the TV on with the volume low and for a while they watched in silence. Dean had almost drifted off to sleep when Sam suddenly muted the TV completely.

"You hear that?" Sam asked.

Suddenly wide awake Dean sat up and strained his ears.

Then he heard it. A deep grumbling, almost a grunting. Definitely a big animal.

Dean looked at Mac who was still sleeping.

"What is that?" Sam was about to get out of bed but Dean held him back with a shake of his head. He knew what that sound was, what Mac wanted. He had to blink against the tears.

"It's his mother."


	21. Chapter 21

"It's his mother." Dean said.

Mac was just a baby, he was hurt and he wanted his mother.

Dean knew that feeling.

However, he had no right to compare his own experience with Mac's. Because he had caused this. He and Sam had been the ones who had emptied whole clips into Mac's mother who had only tried to protect her baby.

On the other bed Sam had gone silent with an "oh", most likely thinking along the same lines.

Mac was still sleeping but his legs were twitching as if he was trying to run. He made desperate little noises which were answered by deeper grunts coming from somewhere around the room.

Dean swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"Should we do something?" Sam asked and looked at Dean with those big eyes, fully expecting Dean to fix this. It was probably because of the concussion and the painkillers that this childhood faith in his big brother was back but Dean was at a complete loss on how to fix this.

Mac's mother was dead, they had made sure of it.

The only thing he could give him was a poor substitute. It had to be enough.

"Hey." He said in a low voice to Mac and pretended that he didn't hear his voice cracking over that one word. At least Sam didn't comment on it and just watched him with too big and shiny eyes.

Turning his back to Sam, this was easier if he pretended that he was alone with Mac, Dean rolled to his side and gently reached for the pig.

Mac didn't wake up when Dean dragged the nest closer until he had Mac pressed against his stomach.

Dean curled around him, protecting him with his whole body. With his hand spread out over Mac's belly, fingertips in the soft fur of his throat, he held him close.

"I'm here." He whispered. "I'm here. You're safe."

After a moment the sounds of the adult pig faded away and Mac's sleep became more peaceful.

"Here." Suddenly Sam stood behind him with a blanket. Dean let him drape it over them and if Sam took his time to tuck it around Mac and then let his hand linger on Dean's shoulder, Dean didn't say anything about it.

"Just tell me if you need anything." Sam said in a low voice before he went back to his own bed.

"We're good, thanks." Dean whispered back and shifted until Mac's head was tucked under his chin.

Dean didn't sleep but he didn't move for hours either. He just listened to Mac's breathing, felt the ups and downs of his chest under his palm and soaked up the heat of the body pressed against him. It was nice, he had to admit, but the warmth didn't reach the cold in his stomach.

Nothing could change the fact that this was his fault. Mac was an orphan because of him and he had almost died because of him as well.

No matter how hard Dean tried, it always ended with more blood on his hands. Sooner or later everybody around him died.

Mac made a little noise and snuggled closer to him.

Behind him Sam had gone back to watching TV. The noise washed over Dean but he wasn't paying attention and he was pretty sure that by now Sam had fallen asleep again. Why else would he stop channel surfing on an infomercial about a newer and so much better juicer?

Dean let his mind drift again when a way too cheerful voice told him that, yes, he could totally juice a cucumber with that thing, too.

Bringing Mac to a hunt had been a stupid idea. Keeping him had been a stupid idea.

He should find him a nice home with people who loved him and didn't endanger him just by being there.

Dean knew that was the right thing to do. He just didn't know if he could do it or even wanted to do it. It was selfish but he felt better with Mac around.

If he let Mac go, he wasn't sure if he could fight any longer. Mac had become some kind of lifeline to him. Without that he would just drown in the darkness of the Mark.

It was weak and selfish, he knew that, and he should think about Mac's wellbeing first but he couldn't.

He hoped and feared at the same time that once Sam could think straight again he would put his foot down and force Dean to do the right thing. Because Dean couldn't.

When it was time for the next round of pills, Dean carefully slipped out of bed.

He hadn't moved in hours so he stretched until his back popped and he rolled his neck and shoulders to loosen up the tight muscles there. After being stuck fully clothed under the covers he felt sweaty and his clothes stuck to his skin and he probably was due for a shower.

But first he had to check on his patients.

Mac was more or less awake, blinking at him with sleepy eyes but still content with lying in his warm nest.

Sam had fallen asleep with his head propped up against the headboard, the remote still in his lax fingers. On screen a woman with fake hair and fake teeth tried to convince him that he just needed to swallow this algae stuff once a day for the rest of his life and he would never have to see a doctor again. The pills looked more like dried cow pats than anything else and Dean was sure that was what they like tasted, too.

He switched off the TV and then turned to his brother to figure out how to get him into a position that didn't cause him more pain in the neck than the concussion he already had.

"Who allowed you to grow so big?" He muttered but with a little coaxing Sam rolled to his side. It was still more pretzel than a comfortable sleeping position but it was good enough for now.

When Dean straightened up he found Mac looking at him from the other bed. He didn't make a sound, he just looked at him with those eyes that were so much older than they should be.

"Right, time for your pills." Dean rubbed the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable under that gaze. It was as if Mac was looking right into his soul. It reminded him of Cas.

Mac took the pills with some soda. They should stop that before it became a bad habit but right now Dean just couldn't say no to him.

When Mac had cleaned out the bowl he carefully made the few steps over to where Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed. He laid his head on Dean's thigh and without thinking Dean started to scratch him behind the ear.

"I'm sorry." Dean said, not even sure what he was sorry for. For killing Mac's mother, for starters. For letting him get hurt. For dragging him down with him. For ruining his life. For being too selfish to let him go.

There was so much guilt piling up on him, sometimes he couldn't even breathe. With Mac it was easier, just a little bit. Just enough to keep going for a little while longer.

It was pathetic how much he relied on the pig after such a short time.

Mac deserved a better life. Mac deserved someone better.

The clock radio on the nightstand suddenly came to life, startling him out of his thoughts.

Dean recognized the familiar notes of _Nothing Else Matters_ before his mind caught up with the lyrics.

… _Life is ours, we live it our way, All these words, I don't just say, And nothing else matters, Trust I seek and I find in you, Every day for us something new …_

He hummed along with a smile on his face. He wasn't sure what Mac was trying to tell him but Metallica had always helped him to calm down.

Then the needle got stuck on the broken record. He was pretty sure that nowadays nobody played actual records anymore but that was what he was hearing now, the same bit of the song over and over again. But that wasn't what almost made him burst out in tears. It was the line it was stuck on.

… _And nothing else matters, Trust I seek and I find in you, And nothing else matters, Trust I seek and I find in you, And nothing else matters, Trust I seek and I find in you …_

Over and over again, as if Mac wanted to drive the point home.

Dean tried to keep his emotions bottled up but the line hammered down on him, chipping away at his walls. Finally something in him broke and he couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Mac climbed in his lap and Dean held on to him for dear life while his tears ran freely.

He didn't know how long he sat there caught in his meltdown, clinging to Mac who patiently let him cry.

Eventually his crying died down to dry sobs and then he didn't even have those left. For a while he just sat there, feeling drained and empty but in a good way.

Mac was the first one to move. He twisted until he could look up at Dean, giving him a look that clearly said: "Better now?"

"Yeah." His voice was hoarse and his nose clogged but he did feel better. "Thanks."

The radio was silent again and when he turned around to check on Sam he found him still sleeping. How he had slept through all this was beyond him, most likely Mac working his magic, but he was just glad that Sam hadn't witnessed his little meltdown.

"I need a shower." Dean announced. He needed to get away for a second to clear his head. "You good for a moment?"

Mac didn't answer but he let Dean slip out from under him without protest.

Dean took his time in the shower. He let the hot water beat down on him until it started to run cold before he stepped out. Then he brushed his teeth and shaved. A fresh set of clothes later he felt human again.

"How about some burgers for dinner?" He asked when he came back into the main room. Sam was still sleeping but Mac perked up at that.

"Of course you would like some burgers." Dean gave him a quick pat on the head before he reached for the notepad on the nightstand to leave Sam a message.

After what Mac had done earlier he deserved all the burgers in the world.

There was a diner not far down the road so Dean left the Impala in the lot and walked the short distance. The fresh air cleared his foggy mind and by the time he reached the diner he was humming under his breath again. Not _Nothing Else Matters_, he would never be able to listen to that song again without fighting the tears, he was pretty sure of that, but there were more than enough other good songs for him to hum.

He got the burger special for himself and Mac and soup with grilled cheese for Sam. The smell alone made his mouth water and he hurried to get back to the motel.

By now Sam was awake and for some reason he had Mac next to him on his bed.

"I swear, he's going to be the most spoiled pig in history." Dean said and opened the bag with the burgers.

"And that's totally my fault." Sam answered with a pointed look at the two burgers in Dean's hands.

Dean shut him up with the soup.

Both Mac and Sam had some appetite again which Dean counted as a good sign. Sam didn't even throw up afterwards.

"My memory is a bit fuzzy." Sam said while Dean gathered the empty wrappers and threw them in the trash. "Did you talk to Brian before we left?"

"Brian?" Dean frowned at him but then he remembered the kid with the prophetic dreams. "Shit."


	22. Chapter 22

They had promised to check in with Brian after they had dealt with the pagan gods but with all the almost dying Dean had forgotten about the boy.

Plus, they had promised to set him up with people who could help him with his prophetic dreams.

"Shit." Dean repeated. One hand fisting his hair he paced up and down the room, thinking about a solution. By now the murders in the trailer had most likely hit the papers and for sure Brian had kept an eye out for that. So he knew that his vision had come true.

And the people he'd trusted with to prevent it from happening had obviously failed and had run rather than to face him afterwards.

"This doesn't look good." Dean muttered while Sam reached for his shoes. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Dean stopped his pacing in front of Sam who tried to figure out how to tie his shoe without bending down and agitating his head. The long seconds it took him to come up with the idea to just put his ankle on his other knee told Dean how out of it he still was.

"We need to go back." Sam said, fighting with the shoelaces. The laces were clearly winning. No way was Dean putting him in a rumbling car. They weren't that far out, only a few hours, but Sam needed to rest in a bed for at least another day or two.

Mac still sat on Sam's bed where he'd almost drifted off to sleep after he'd finished his burger but now he too looked ready to go. He sat on his haunches, a little tilted to the side to not strain his injured side too much, but his gaze was fixed on Dean, waiting for his decision.

"You are not going anywhere." He pried the shoe out of Sam's hand which was way too easy. He'd seen babies holding on to toys with more force.

"But we have to …" Sam started but Dean cut him off by pushing him back into a lying position next to Mac. The pig watched with interest but as soon as Sam was settled his eyes were on Dean again as if he wanted to say: "Okay, he's taken care of, let's go."

"Oh, no. You're staying here, too." Dean reached over to his bed and grabbed the shirts to form a nest right next to Sam. Mac made an annoyed noise but dropped in the nest and cuddled up to Sam who draped his arm protectively around him.

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Sam asked but Dean could tell how exhausted he was, he wasn't even putting up a fight.

"You always say I'm better with kids." Dean shifted uncomfortably.

"You are. Kids love you."

"If you say so." Instead of getting ready to hit the road, Dean sat down on his bed and took off his boots.

"Aren't you leaving?" Sam had propped himself up on one elbow and eyed him now with a frown.

"You just had your dinner." Dean pointed out patiently and stretched out on his bed. He instantly missed Mac by his side but he didn't want to disturb him later so he'd have to do without the pig for a few hours. "If I leave now I'll arrive there around midnight. What do you expect me to do? Creep through the window into his bedroom?"

"Oh. Right." Sam dropped back and curled around Mac who seemed content with Sam snuggling with him for a change. Dean tried to didn't feel jealous.

"Just go to sleep. I'll leave early in the morning and I should be back in the evening." Dean made himself more comfortable. He should catch some hours of sleep before he left. "You two are going to be fine for a while?"

"Don't worry about us." Sam answered but he sounded half asleep by now. Concussions always did this to him. For a few days Sam just needed to sleep.

Dean actually slept without interruptions from his patients until the alarm of his phone went off way too early in the morning. He hurried to shut it down and then glanced over to Sam to make sure that his brother was still sleeping. Like expected Sam had slept right through the noise but from his side two shiny spots blinked over to him. It was too dark to make out more than a general shape but Mac was obviously awake.

"Hey." Dean said in a hushed voice and let Mac snuggle his head into his palm. "Can't sleep anymore?"

By now Mac moved around more easily and was steady on his feet. Not enough that Dean had to worry he would give Sam a run for the money while he was gone, not that the thought of the two invalids chasing each other wasn't entertaining, but enough that Dean decided to take him outside for a moment.

"This is better than the bathtub, isn't it?" Dean asked when Mac happily disappeared under a bush to take care of his business. He walked stiffly and way slower than usual but he was getting there.

At four in the morning the parking lot was empty and there was no light behind the windows of the rooms. Dean inhaled the fresh night air and just enjoyed the moment while he waited for Mac to come back to him.

Mac used the chance to stretch his legs and walk around the lot for a bit but he never wandered off far.

Suddenly there was an angry hissing and a surprised squeal and then a trembling Mac stood pressed to Dean's leg.

Dean almost doubled over laughing.

"You faced down pagan gods." He stifled his laughs with his fist. "But a little kitty scares you?"

He should rethink the idea of leaving Mac in Sam's care for any longer periods of time because for a pig Mac was giving him an impressive bitch face already.

"Come here, you wuss." Dean scooped him up and after a second of sulking Mac snuggled into his chest. Gaining new confidence from his advantage point he let out a challenging squeak in the general direction of the cat before he let Dean carry him back inside.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a terrifying supernatural monster." Dean petted his head and then put him back in his nest next to the still sleeping Sam.

Dean made sure that both his patients had everything they needed in easy reach and he wrote a detailed note, in big letters, on how to take care of Mac for Sam and for a second he was tempted to do the same with instructions for Mac on how to deal with Sam, just to see what would happen.

He didn't know what it would do to his sanity if he found out that Mac could read. He wasn't ready to find out so he didn't write him a note.

However, that was a thought to explore. If he could teach Mac to read simple things like the clock or signs …

Putting the idea to the back of his mind Dean had one last look around the room to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything. Then he grabbed his jacket and stepped over to Mac one last time.

"I'll be back soon." He promised. "Watch out for Sammy for me, would you?"

Those words rang some bells he didn't want to think about too closely so he was grateful when Mac butted his head against his arm to get him going.

"I'm leaving." Dean said and with one last look at them he was out of the door. He knew that Sam was more than capable of looking out for himself even if he wasn't back to one-hundred percent just yet. And Mac was a force on his own. They would be fine for a few hours.

Dean's first stop was for a large coffee and then it was just him and the open road. It was too early for the rush hour so he had the road for himself. He cranked the volume up high and sang along to his favorite songs.

He hadn't really paid attention to the ride out of town the other day, too busy worrying about Sam and Mac, so he wasn't sure how long the ride would be but he wasn't in a hurry. He doubted he would get a chance to talk to Brian before the end of school and even then it wouldn't be easy.

He wasn't sure if he and Sam were suspects for the murders in the trailer and even if not, the mother wouldn't just let him talk to Brain without her present.

Lurking outside the school didn't seem like a good idea either.

Dean stopped just out of town at a diner. While he ate his meat lovers breakfast which he washed down with two more cups of coffee, he checked the news on his phone.

The trailer had been found and the police had made the connection between the body parts there and the missing corpses so they knew the dead guys were their killers. If they had any suspects for the murders in the trailer it didn't say but Dean intended to stay out of sight anyway. Just a quick talk with Brian and then he would be out of there.

When he stepped out of the diner, he still had no idea on how to approach the kid but that didn't really bother him. He would just wing it like always.

Before he reached the car, his phone rang.

"Morning, Sammy." He greeted his brother cheerfully. "Miss me already?"

"Dean." The urgency in his voice sobered him up instantly. "Mac's gone."

"Mac's what?" Dean stopped dead. An icy rock settled deep in his stomach but the Mark on his arm was burning up. If somebody had taken Mac …

"He isn't here." Sam said, edging on panicked.

"Calm down, he can't be far." Dean said more to himself than to Sam. "Maybe he's just playing with you."

"I looked everywhere, he's not here." Sam said.

"Okay, what exactly happened?" Dean tried to stay calm which he did. But it was the cold burning calmness he'd first embraced in Hell and which had never really left him. The Mark under the sleeve was burning red and his fingers were itching for the blade but he didn't need it. He would use his bare hands if he had to.

"I let him out of my sight for only a second." Sam apologized. "And he pulled a full on Cas on me. He's just gone."

That threw Dean off for a second. In his mind he was already planning the slow and painful death of whoever had taken Mac. But this sounded like Mac had taken off on his own? Or Cas had pignapped him.

"I'm on my way back." Dean ended the call and strode back to the car. He didn't know what was going on but one thing he knew for sure. Mac would never just leave. Never.

He closed the door with more force than necessary and rammed the key in the ignition. He would get his pig back.

A happy squeal startled him out of his cold determination.

"You have to be kidding me."

Mac sat in his usual spot in the foot room, looking very pleased with himself.

For a moment Dean just sat there, stunned by conflicting emotions. A second ago he'd been ready to kill somebody and now relief was washing over him.

Without taking his eyes off Mac, he reached for his phone. He snapped a quick picture of Mac, labeled it "found him" and sent it over to Sam.

Then he turned back to Mac, not sure if he should be angry or amused.

"Knew I would catch you teleporting one day."


	23. Chapter 23

"Knew I would catch you teleporting one day." Dean leaned over to scratch Mac behind the ear.

"You scared me for a moment there." He quietly admitted. Mac bumped his head apologizing into his palm but before the moment could get too awkward, his phone started ringing.

"Yeah, he's here." He said without even looking at the caller ID.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked but now he only sounded tired, the panic from earlier completely gone.

"He's fine. He just likes me better than you." Dean grinned and transferred the phone to his other hand so he was able to continue petting Mac.

"Yeah, yeah." Sam muttered and stifled a yawn. "How did he do that anyway?"

"Teleporting." Dean shrugged. "Don't act surprised, you were suspecting it as much as I did. And you were the one who compared him to Cas in the first place."

"Hmm." Sam made and there was some rustling as if he was getting more comfortable on his bed. "You know that we can't keep him from going wherever he wants to go now, right?"

"Because that worked so well in the first place." Dean had suspected it since Mac had started exploring the bunker but when he'd escaped the locked Impala the other day it had become pretty clear that they couldn't keep him anywhere he didn't want to be.

"I could …" Sam cleared his throat. "You know, look into a few things. Sigils, runes. There has to be a way to keep him in one place. For his own safety."

Under his hand Mac had gone very still. So much for the question of how much the pig understood. Dean gave him a smile while he thought about Sam's suggestion.

"Mac doesn't like the idea." He informed him. "And I don't either."

Mac relaxed and leaned more heavily against his hand. He was still injured and Dean had no idea what it had cost the pig to teleport this far.

"Maybe." Dean added after a moment. "Maybe to keep him out of some things." He was thinking of the rooms in the bunker with the cursed objects. "But never to lock him away. I won't trap him in a cage. Ever." It was a low blow, he knew that, but he wanted to drive this point home.

As expected Sam went silent at the mention of a cage.

"You're not going to do research now anyway." Dean filled the silence. "Take a nap, get some rest. We'll be back in the evening." And with that he ended the call.

For a second he just sat there. Then he put the phone away and turned to fully face Mac.

"You heard me. Nobody is going to lock you up. I promise."

Mac pressed his snout against his arm right were the Mark was hidden under the sleeve. For some reason it felt like Mac was giving him a promise of his own. You look out for me and I look out for you. It was silly, Mac was just a little pig but it made him feel better.

"Yeah right, you're just a little pig." Dean gave him a glance while he eased the Impala back on the road. "Just a supernatural, teleporting, reality alternating, little pig that's too smart for his own good."

Next too him Mac gave him his best impression of being cute and adorable. Dean laughed.

They were close to their destination now and slowly a plan formed in his mind. With Mac at his side it should be easier to get to Brian, Dean figured.

Brian had found them the other day because he'd spotted the Impala on his bus ride from school. So Dean made sure to park in a prominent spot along the street not far from Brian's house and got out of the car. There was a small park near by and Mac was happy to play around for a while before he returned exhausted and clearly limping to Dean.

When the bus drove by Dean was sitting on the hood of the Impala with Mac in his lap and with any luck, he gave Mac a pointed look, the boy would spot him and come over on his own.

Sure enough a few minutes later Brian did come down the street but stopped at what he might consider a safe distance. Fiddling with the strap of his backpack he just stood there for a moment and Dean forced himself to focus on Mac because he had the feeling that looking at Brian would cause him to run. For all the boy knew Dean was a killer. Which wasn't that far off but not the point at the moment.

"I thought you left." Brian said, coming closer but staying out of reach.

"We did." Dean admitted and took his hands off Mac to show the boy the bandages. "Mac got hurt and Sam got hit over the head. Concussion."

"Is he okay?" Now Brian was at his side, fingers itching to pet Mac. Dean gave him an encouraging nod and with that the ice was broken. Brian buried his fingers in the short fur on Mac's cheeks and neck. The pig basically melted into the touch.

"He's fine." Dean answered, knowing fully well that the boy mainly cared for the pig and not his brother. "It looked bad for a moment but he's going to be okay."

Attention on Mac Brian didn't look at Dean when he said: "I saw it in the papers. You didn't stop it." His voice broke over the last words and hot tears fell from his face right on Mac who just snuggled closer to the boy.

From his own research earlier Dean knew that the first article barely said more than that there had been two men found dead in a trailer. The details came later.

"You know." Dean shifted a little to get a better grip on Mac who was in clear danger of falling off his lap. "This dreams and visions are tricky. You see this one moment but you don't know the context. You don't know what let to this moment and what's going on aside from what you see."

More willing to listen now Brain hopped on the hood next to him and Mac scrambled over to his lap with a happy squeal.

"Be careful with his side." Dean said and made sure that the boy had a good hold on the pig.

"What happened?"

"The man you saw, he was the bad guy." Dean explained. "He and his partner murdered your aunt."

He waited to let the words sink in.

"So you killed them?" Brian threw the words at him. "You did it?"

"You're way more mature than most adults." Dean admitted with surprise. Most people would give him a grim "good" when he told them that the one who killed their family was dead. But on the other hand, he knew the guilt the boy must carry right now. He had known that a man would die, in a gruesome way, but he hadn't been able to stop it. And then the people he'd trusted to fix it had not only failed at saving the man but had disappeared without a word. Dean doubted that Brian had slept much lately.

"You're right, usually the cops handle things like this and the murderer goes to jail." Dean continued when Brian stayed silent.

"Why did you kill them, then?" Now Brian looked him dead in the eye.

"Because." Dean let out a sigh. He hated himself for dragging this kid down this path, for destroying his innocence. But who was he fooling? With those dreams Brian's innocence had long been destroyed. "These men weren't human. They were pagan gods and they have been killing people for centuries. Monsters like this you can't put in jail, you can't make them stop. The only thing you can do is to stop them."

Most adults would argue with him. Even with prophetic dreams and a magical pig in their lap they would call him nuts for the idea of pagan gods. Brian just nodded.

"So they can't be changed." Brian said quietly. "I see these things and I can do nothing about them."

"That's not true." Dean reminded him. "It's not easy but you can change the outcome. We have stopped a few of Sam's visions." He knew what kind of burden he was putting on the child's shoulders. Knowing that he could change things, Brian now had to decide every time if he should try to do something about it or not.

But that was better than to just helplessly watch things unfold in front of him, right?

"Here." Dean fished a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I made you an email account. I already sent you a message with my and Sam's email address and phone number. You can contact us whenever you want."

Brian took the piece of paper as if he was reaching for a lifeline.

"Over the next few days you're going to get mails from a few people I trust." He promised. The list of people he trusted was rather short but over the years he'd come across some people he knew would take good care of Brian. "They'll help you."

"Thank you." Brian stared at the address and password as if he wanted to memorize them before he put the slip of paper in his pocket. Which was probably a good idea. His mother surely just wanted the best for him and exchanging emails with grown men was probably high on her alert list so it was possible that she would try to cut the contact.

Email had the benefit that Brian could access it from any computer and wasn't cut off if he lost phone privilege. Or simply lost his phone.

"I should go, Mom's waiting for me." Brian said after a moment but wasn't quite ready to hand Mac back over.

"There's one more thing." Dean spoke up. He'd been debating with himself the whole morning how to tell Brian this but he remembered Sam breaking over this too clearly to not mention it.

"What?"

"You can't save everybody." He said. "You do your best, you try everything but sometimes you just can't save them." He spoke out of experience and he hoped that Brian would get that. "You will feel guilty and you will think _if I just had … _and that's okay, that's good. That's human." He didn't emphasize how important it was to stay human but he hoped that Brian would get that when he got older.

Without realizing he'd grabbed his arm and was now running his thumb over the Mark.

"But don't beat yourself up too much over it. You can't save everybody. It's not your fault, that's just life."

Brian stayed silent for a long moment, mechanically working that spot behind Mac's ear.

It was a hard lesson he put on the kid, he knew that, but if he was right, the last few days had been hell for Brian and if this helped him in the long run to live with the guilt, it was worth it.

When Brian left, he had his hands in his pockets, head bowed and was lost in thoughts. Dean watched him until he was out of sight.

"Did we do good?" He asked Mac who was back in his lap and had watched the boy walking away with intense eyes as well. Sometimes Dean really wished he knew what was going on in the pig's head.

There was nothing else to do so they got in the car and Dean started the engine.

"Let's pick up Sammy and then it's time to go home."


	24. Chapter 24

They were back at the bunker for almost a week now and they were recovering. Sam had slept most of the first days but now he was up and around most of the time. And bitching that he still got headaches if he read for too long. What a bummer. Dean just rolled his eyes at him.

Once Mac had figured out that too much reading wasn't good for Sam, which took about two seconds, he came into the library with a toy in his mouth every time he decided that Sam needed a break.

"You're such a selfless little guy, aren't you?" Dean commented with a shake of his head. Mac just gave the ball they were playing with a push with his snout so that it rolled towards Dean.

With innocent eyes he waited for Dean to throw it for him. Which he did. Of course he did. Have you seen those eyes?

But Dean was just happy that Mac felt like playing again. He still moved a bit stiff and slower than usual but his wound was healing nicely and he would be back to one hundred percent in no time.

With Sam limited to short reading sessions his research regarding the Mark had slowed down to almost a standstill. And Dean didn't mind?

He felt the Mark under his skin and in his mind, the whispers in the dark, the urges for blood and pain, but it was okay. He could deal with it.

Every time it got bad Mac was suddenly at his side and somehow the pig new exactly what he needed at the time. If he needed distraction, Mac brought a toy. If he needed to move, he brought the harness and they went out for a long walk. If he just needed to crawl under the blanket and shut the world out, Mac was right with him under the blanket and let Dean hold on to him for hours if necessary.

The nights were the worst, though, when Dean was alone with his thoughts and nothing to distract him. Or worse when he was caught in a nightmare and couldn't get free.

He dreamed of Hell. Souls screaming in a prison of flesh and blood and pain. He was never sure which side of the rack he was on but those were dreams so he probably was on both sides.

However, Mac slept in his bed every night and he was like an anchor. When everything got too much, Dean turned to his side and curled around the pig and just focused on the small body until he could breathe again.

And when the nightmares hit, Mac woke him up with a wet snout to the face. Then Dean lay there, breathless and soaked in cold sweat, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't and Mac just dropped on him, letting his body weight ground him.

It was after one of those bad dreams when Dean started to talk to him. Mac lay on his chest, his injured side up, and just waited for Dean to calm down.

"I can still taste the sulfur in the back of my throat." Dean said. "I hear them scream. I want to make them scream."

He reached up to pet Mac or just to hold on to him, he didn't know, when he noticed the faint glow of the Mark. A dirty red in the dark but it was already fading. By the time he felt Mac's short fur under his fingers, it was gone. He knew the Mark was still there but it wasn't pulling at him at the moment.

"You know, it's so tempting sometimes." He had to swallow against the lump in his throat. "To just give in. To just give up."

Mac shifted until his snout was pressed against Dean's throat. There was no eerie voice coming out of nowhere, no song with a meaning suddenly playing on the radio, nothing like that happened. Just Mac lying on his chest with his snout nuzzled into his throat and it was enough.

Dean started to talk to Mac during those long nights. Reluctantly at first, he'd never really talked about this stuff, but once he'd started it became easier.

Mac didn't judge, he didn't comment, he didn't look at him different. He just listened to whatever Dean needed to talk about in the wee hours of the night when he lay sleepless in his bed with too much blood on his hands and too much guilt on his mind.

Sometimes he wondered if Sam heard him. If his brother came by his door and just stopped and listened. The first time that thought crossed his mind he stopped talking mid-sentence and didn't say a word the next two nights.

"This is between you and me." He said to Mac the next time he woke up with a scream caught in his throat. "Sam doesn't need to know."

Mac made a reassuring sound and made himself more comfortable at Dean's side with his head resting on his shoulder.

After that Dean was pretty sure that even if Sam pressed his ear to the door he wouldn't hear a word he was saying. This was something between Mac and him and he counted on the pig to keep it that way.

"You know, sometimes I wish I never made it out of Purgatory." He let out a sigh. "Life was easier there. I didn't have to ask myself if a kill was justified, everything there is a monster. Everything there deserves to die." He tried to not think of Cas and Benny, those were exceptions. "I fit right in."

Mac lay still at his side and it was too dark to see if he was awake but Dean knew that he was listening. He would listen as long as Dean needed to talk.

It became some kind of a ritual to them. They went to bed and while he waited for sleep to claim him, Dean talked. Mostly light-hearted stuff. About his day and the plans for the week. About Sam and the next hunt. Sometimes he talked about Bobby and his mom. Not so much about his dad, that was too complicated for drifting off to sleep.

But when he woke up from nightmares and didn't dare to go back to sleep, he talked about things he'd never said out loud before.

"Today I just wanted to drink myself into oblivion but I don't know what I'd do if I lose control."

"I should put a bullet in my brain but I'm not sure if I can die. I don't want to become a demon again."

"I'm scared."

He wasn't even sure why he was telling Mac all those things but he did and it kinda helped. The Mark was still there and it probably would stay for the rest of his life but that wasn't that of a scary thought anymore.

Sam didn't say anything but Dean knew that he had noticed it too. Even when he'd fully recovered from the concussion, and the twisted ankle he got when he got thrown around the graveyard on their next hunt, Sam didn't return to his research on the Mark with the same urgency.

Sometimes Sam even went totally off topic with his research. Dean never caught him watching porn but once he caught a glimpse of something about service dogs for people with PTSD. He didn't even want to know how Sam ended up there but it was for sure nothing related to a case.

But Sam had always wanted to know everything. Dean still remembered the dinosaur phase. If he never heard something about dinosaurs ever again, it would be too soon. Watching Jurassic Park with Sam still was no fun.

There was, however, a growing problem.

They sat over dinner, Sam and Dean with steak and baked potato and Mac with a can of dog food, when Dean noticed something.

"He's gotten bigger again." And heavier, he'd noticed that last night. Not long now before Mac would get too heavy to lie on his chest.

"What did you expect?" Sam shrugged. "That he'd stay a piglet forever?" He paused with a frown and Dean just knew that he was wondering if Mac could do that.

"How big is he going to get?" Dean asked, watching Mac digging into his food.

"You saw his mother." Sam said. "He's a boar so he's most likely going to be bigger than that."

Dean thought about it. "So about 800 pounds and what? Three and a half foot tall?"

"Sounds realistic."

"Super." Dean leaned back in his chair with a considering look at Mac who was following their conversation with interest.

"Hmm?" Sam made, once again not seeing the obvious problem.

"The car is with us and the weapons alone loaded pretty good." Dean pointed out. "800 on top of that is a lot. I'll have to have a look at the axes before he grows that big."

How he would fit a 800 pound boar in his bed was another problem he would need to think about.

***end***


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